Sleepless in spring semester

My first class of the semester is at 9:00 this morning but I was wide awake at 4. Why? No forgot-to-write-the-syllabus dreams, no teaching-naked nightmares, just a lot of excitement about the new semester.

There's plenty to be excited about, starting with an excellent schedule. I have only one section of freshman writing two mornings a week, and I'll be teaching two American Lit classes back-to-back three mornings a week: a sophomore-level survey and an upper-level class called Later American Novel, starting with Edith Wharton and ending with Toni Morrison. Last year I taught overloads in both spring and fall semesters and also taught a J-term class and a summer independent study, for a total of 10 classes (while chairing the department); teaching only three classes this semester will feel like a walk in the park.

I'm also excited about the return of the students, without whom the campus is entirely too dull. I want to know what my wonderful English majors have been reading over break, what they're talking about, where they've been.

I'm thrilled about taking my freshman writing students to the new library--or taking anyone to the new library, for that matter. Just having a new library is enough to make me happy.

Unfortunately, the library isn't open at 4 a.m., and the students are sleeping (I hope) and the classrooms are empty, so there was nowhere to channel all that excitement. I tried to sleep for a while but finally gave it up as a lost cause. Now I'm chomping at the bit, ready to get into my first class and get this exciting semester off to a good start. Here's hoping I don't fall asleep in the middle of class!