Already?

I can't believe this, but the semester has officially started here. I don't teach until tomorrow, but as I drove into campus today there was a noticeable increase in people. Suddenly there are students everywhere. "My" building is buzzing with first-day excitement and jitters and the poor photocopier didn't get a break all day.

I'm teaching two courses this semester and observing one. It's a nice teaching load, especially as one course is an honors course and therefore has a cap of 16. Right now I only have 12 enrolled, so that's a lovely change. The other course caps at 22, so I can't complain at all. 

Class caps are particularly important, I think, to writing instructors. I don't exactly love grading midterms and finals, but in writing classes, especially introductory writing classes, there's (as one might imagine) quite a bit of writing going on. This student writing translates into quite a bit of reading for the instructor. So, simply for the sake of time-related sanity, lower class enrollments are especially nice in intro writing courses. I lucked out this semester and am grateful for that.

So, happy "spring" semester (doesn't quite feel like it has earned that title yet) to all of you teachers and students out there. Only 57 days until (our) spring break!