Dana Chemistry Hall

My home for four years a long time ago: the Dana Chemistry Hall at Bates College. Scott and I visited here a week or so ago during our stay in Maine. Unfortunately we couldn't get inside to visit anyone because it was a Sunday and the place was all locked up. We enjoyed walking around the campus, though, and Scott got to see where I went to college.

This week I'm starting a new semester of teaching. It's strange thinking that many of the students are younger than my own kids. Seems just a little while ago that I was about the same age, or younger than most of them. When I started teaching in San Diego, I'd often sit in one of the seats on the first day and talk to the students before the class started. They were surprised when I got up and walked to the front of the room and started the class. Nowadays, I don't even try that little trick.


I'm teaching seven labs this semester, for the first 8 weeks. In October, I'll pick up a lecture class and two more labs. It's an odd schedule, brought on out of opportunity and the need to balance my time between two colleges. I like labs because I can get to know the students better, but when I'm not also teaching the lecture portion of the course, it's harder to keep their attention, even if I offer myself up as a free tutor for the lecture class, and work closely with the lecture profs to keep the lab connected with the material that they're covering in class.

With so many labs, and most of them in the afternoon and evening time slots, I'm expecting to be quite tired, especially after my 8:30 am three-day-a-week lecture starts up. To battle the fatigue, I've signed up for a "Lifetime Fitness" class at one of the colleges, so I can take advantage of their brand new fitness center and pool. I'll be taking a tour of the equipment tomorrow morning. Should be fun. :)