Phew.

Teaching's over for the semester.

Now it's grading, which hasn't officially started for me yet. That's because I gave my students till tomorrow to turn stuff in. Which is just fine with me. I've been easing into all of it. Today I have been collecting student work from the Introduction to Imaginative Writing course to turn it into an e-zine. A one-off, of course, since the course is over. Once I'm sure there aren't brilliant little pieces straggling in late, I'll publish it on my website and the students will be able to send the URL around to their loved ones and they'll be able to download it, and all will be well.

It's been kind of fun. And I'm actually feeling quite a bit less frantic than I did, say, last week. And last week was actually quite a bit less frantic than the week before.

Miscellaneous:

1. College daughter has been working her college butt off, finishing an e-portfolio, a "tangible" portfolio, a website, and all kinds of stuff. She's doing a great job--you can see the learning happening. I have read and commented on many of these documents. I feel her instructors should be paying me a small fee for this.

2. Running son finished the arduous Eagle Scout preparation and paperwork last night. I feel that the paperwork is basically a preparation for the workers of tomorrow to suck it up and jump through the hoops. However, let me say how proud I am of running son for this, as
he had a great project (a field day for third-graders, which he designed and managed like a pro). He is the latest in a long line of Eagle Scouts, including his dad, my dad, and my grandfather. Huzzah!

All the married and otherwise independent children are carrying on with their lives, including two expected babies, a bachelor's degree expected in the spring, a master's degree expected in the spring, and lots of holiday visiting about to occur. The historian's son is about to get married, too, a marriage that will bring two adorable twin girls into our lives. I'm not sure I'm going to relax much over the holidays, but for now, before the portfolios arrive full-force, I'm calm and kicking it.