Joy

Getting back into teaching this semester has been a big challenge. Not only did I have to confront all my latent fears of failure, I had to prep for a brand new course with very little time. Fortunately, there has been one big, bright spot that has made this semester a pleasure: the students. I really really like them. They are intelligent and caring. They take geography because they are interested in it and want to make the world better. And they treat me like a person, affording me common respect.

I got to talk with a lot of them today, including about some of my favorite topics: lifestyle, purchasing choices, vegetarianism. I love that they're interested in these things too, and that they are willing to talk with me about them. Thank you, students, for making this experience so good for me.