My office was in the same building for more than 30 years. I retired about 10 years ago and did not find a need to return to the building much. I get care and examinations in that building and once in a while, I have some other business in there.
Last week, I volunteered to work with whatever the dean of the college thought I might be able to help with. It feels very strange driving onto the old parking lot, walking in through the old doors, passing the old classroom where I taught. I feel like I am a ghost, mostly invisible and unnoticed.
When I began teaching in the local university, I started in the summer session. I wanted to work there but we were too strapped for funds to get there to teach unless I could teach during the summer. Many college faculty like not teaching in the summer but education (teacher training) faculty have their busiest time then, especially those teaching graduate courses. Traditionally, teachers must take additional college credits or some acceptable substitute to keep their teaching license and to climb on the pay scale. Summer, when school for children is closed for holiday, is the time teachers can get further education.
In those early years of my college teaching, there were no home computers, no computers on campus to speak of except for doing the payroll and certainly no internet. My university, like many smaller state schools, tried to be vigorous and demanding of its students. So, teachers found that a summer course was taught every weekday for 2.5 hours a day and met for 8 weeks straight. That is a demanding, crowded schedule for both the students and the teacher of a course. Many courses are still taught that way but quite a few can be attended less often while the student works at home, online.
I plan to keep volunteering in my old building for a while and see what develops. Today I updated the operating system of several iPads and their apps and cleaned the accumulated finger prints off the touch screens. The halls were very quiet and make a sharp contrast to my earliest days in that building.
--
Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
