The Rhythm Of The Semester

The semester has started. All the classes have been met for the first time. Each class has their syllabus. The lost students have been pointed in the correct direction. All those annoying last moment details have been sorted. Things are ready to go for the semester, almost. Yet, there is still something missing -- the rhythm of the semester.

One of the downsides of a long break from teaching is that one gets out of the regular habits which make a semester run smoothly. Although the research time during the Summer is wonderful, it does mean that the internal sense of pace which is essential to a semester goes astray. With everything ready to go for the new school year, this is the one thing that is missing.

Usually, by the second week of the semester, the rhythm reappears. There is a certain periodicity and pulse to the way a semester runs. There is the schedule of the classes. There is the regular round of meetings. When the rhythm of the semester reasserts itself, all these things naturally follow one another. Until it does, it is hard to get used to being back in semester mode again. To paraphrase Peter Gabriel, it is time for 'the rhythm to take control'. Then the semester will be fully up and running again.

The CP