Sunday, September 04, 2005

Work is finished

The teaching is over. The students gave presentations today and the feeling of goodwill is strong with strongly expressed wishes that I come back and see or teach them again. There are times when working as a housepainter can be more satisfying than teaching in that you know what you have done at the end of the day, but I got a clear impression that I've had an impact on these people. Hopefully the goodwill remains after the marks are delivered. To that effect I've had second thoughts about how I could have best used my time in class and there are moments when I reflect on a particular student and wish I could have given him or her more time. Such is the reality of the teaching profession. Those feelings are stronger right now because of the intensity of the course and the time that we spent together.

Before departing the students gave me a gorgeous clock, which I've managed to get into my briefcase. A gorgeous piece of art combining three common Iranian craft styles into one piece. All in all it has been a good experience and I hope that I've found the determination to take a bit more control over other parts of my life. I've learned a lot about the way I manage a classroom and I look forward to the chance to tweak things a bit. Perhaps it has been a matter of the stress , but I've wondered at times if I've lost the plot and my ability to focus on things. A clearer idea of that will come to me when I get home.

For all the soul-searching I can do over the next little while, the foremost thing on my mind is my departure. I've been in a rush all day to get to the airport ASAP. My taxi driver asked me this morning when to go and I asked him to pick me up at 10pm so I could get to the airport in time to get a high spot on the waiting list. Just before heading out, Jaydeep, another professor from Calgary informed me that there is the back-up of a Munich departure if I cannot get on the Frankfurt flight.