Getting in the Groove

School has officially started for me. I teach my first class in less than 30 minutes. I am prepared, but today was definitely an adjustment day.

I forgot my keys.

I carry two key rings. One set is the vehicle’s keys, and the other set looks like something a janitor would carry around. This second set normally stays in my van, and I use it to hold the keys for things like my mailbox, my office, classrooms, my mom’s safe, my mom’s house, my house and various other places.

But last week, I drove hubby’s truck, which meant my janitor key set was still in hubby’s truck when I left for work this morning. I remembered when I stopped in Lake City to get gas. This meant I had to turn around and drive 20 minutes in the wrong way, putting me about 40 minutes behind total.

Luckily, I start my day with office hours, so I didn’t miss a class. There isn’t a big demand for office hours on the first day of class. If I didn’t have that cushion, I wouldn’t have turned around for my keys, and I would have had to bother the secretaries to let me into my office throughout the day.

I have a pretty packed schedule this semester. I teach on campus two days a week, but those two days are pretty booked since I have one class after another for a total of four classes. I have an additional online class that I am teaching too, which gives me an overload.

I shouldn’t complain. At a community college, 5 classes would be a normal workload, but I will have over 100 students this fall and that is a LOT of papers to read and grade.

I do have a break from 11 to 12, which is a time the university sets aside for meetings. I won’t always have meetings during that time, so I plan to bring my lunch most days. I even invested in a small fridge for my office, which will be great for keeping water and lunch in. The fridge was just $60 at Menards.

Well, I am off to my first class. I am excited about this semester, and I am happy I have my keys!