Semester is over

 Today was the last day of classes. I didn't have much to do; I was doing a final-exam review in the intro class (hard to review for a comprehensive assessment test but I did my best) and hearing the last presentations in the other class.

And I'm done for now. My finals are written and copied. I give one Monday, one Tuesday, one Wednesday. I got all the grading I had done (a couple people didn't get things in, but no matter) and figured out how to do the automatic "drop the lowest exam score" thing in Canvas for the two classes that have them.

Even though my classes were good this semester, I'm glad to be done. I definitely will NOT miss trucking over to another, unfamiliar building (one with sort of weird outdated restrooms and no functioning drinking fountains) and especially these past few days with the heavy rain.

Incidentally, Tiny Jesus is still perched on the fire alarm box. I just left him - I know I said that I might gank him after my last class, but now I feel awkward about that and I also like to imagine that he just stays there for months and months, mostly hidden, that only a few people might notice. 

Tomorrow I have to go find a gift for a retiring colleague; she likes golf,  bowling, and her dogs, so I think I'll get some kind of thing she can play with the dogs with (I don't know enough about either bowling or golf to feel comfortable picking something out, and I know people can be picky about things like golf balls.

I also need to see if there's something for my mom's birthday. I could order something from one of the food purveyors (like King Arthur Flour) if I can't find something, and as long as it comes on time, I ordered a book of National Parks crossword puzzles (she really likes crossword puzzles and used to teach a course on the National Parks) 

Also I need to get groceries - but not too many, in just about 10 days I will be on my way to visit my mom. 

***

Last night I watched - I don't know if it was quite the season finale of Elsbeth. I don't know, the series took an odd turn - there was that creepy judge who got shot, and now Elsbeth is in jail....and she's doubting if there IS justice (her son, who received a very high LSAT score, has now decide he doesn't want to become a lawyer because of the corruption). 

And it's funny. I find it incredibly distressing when an otherwise-positive character becomes disillusioned and sad. Like, "why did the writers have to do that to her, couldn't they keep it as a sort of Columbo-adjacent show with a quirky lady who wears colorful clothes and that features interesting guest stars?" I mean, maybe they'll resolve it next season, but.

And yeah, in a way her reactions mirror something I'm feeling a lot - that in the wider world, truth doesn't matter, goodness doesn't matter, all that matters is how much power you have, and in some cases, if you have a lot of money you're given power, and in others, if you can talk a good line of (shaving cream), you get power.  

And yeah. How do you keep going when some days you feel it's all rotten through? And you realize that you can't counsel students to pursue agency jobs, because those jobs will go away, and that no one really values education any more, and the only "valuable" career is apparently being an entrepreneur or techbro and there maybe isn't really room in the world for the rest of us? 

I don't know. I try to keep having hope, and telling myself that being kind and doing the "right thing" (according to what I have learned from people I respected, and yes, even the Bible) is still the right thing, no matter what the world says.

And I saw this today in the student union, while I was carrying the exams over there for the students who have extra-time accommodations, and yeah, maybe:

I don't know for sure who put it up (you can't see it on there but there's the official stamp that has to be obtained to post something on an official bulletin board).
My campus isn't perfect, but they do seem to do an okay job of making people feel welcome.