For the last several weeks, I've had the distinct impression that some things in my life are coming to an end. Oddly enough, quite a few things ARE coming to an end. I received an email titled "You have been unsubscribed from the Hcom-abd mailing list," signalling the end of my ABD graduate student status. I wrapped up the last full semester of teaching at my illustrious BA & MA alma mater, an institution of which I've been part, as a student or instructor, for almost 20 years.* I read numerous farewell notes from students including one that literally brought tears to my eyes. Several faculty members approached me at a departmental gathering and expressed how much my presence would be missed. At the same gathering, my MA thesis advisor congratulated me on completing my Ph.D. and expressed delight upon hearing about my new position. His exact words were, "Congratulations! That's an excellent school!" I admire him like no other in the academy; his obvious approval and excitement has been the highlight of the year. Considering the Star Wars saga is coming to an end this week, there really are some rather signficant endings approaching quickly.
I feel a bit sad about all that.
*I'm teaching a brief, four-week summer session of Communication and Popular Culture so I haven't reached the official "So long and thanks for all the fish" date. Teaching during the summer is really weird. The classes are much smaller (20 students vs 50; that means I have 20 students this semester instead of 230) and the buildings are the campus version of a ghost town.
1 comment:
Let me share with you a small bit of advice that I hope comes across as more than a platitude. Now that you've got your PhD and are moving on to a real professorship, things in your life will never be the same. But if things can't be the same, it means either they will be worse or they will be better. And the good news is that you pretty much get to pick which way it's going to turn out.
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