The other shoe...

And here we are again, at the dawn of a new semester.

Okay, so maybe not new. But with a few weeks under my belt, I've been able to get the lay of the land, and for once in a great while, the view ain't all that bad.

For those of you who've been following this blog for a while, you know how these "First Post of the Semester" entries usually read. And believe me...for a while I thought of just creating a template--something like the old "Mad Libs" games, where I could write most of the script and fill in the blanks with the small variations that are bound to occur.

This semester I was expecting more of the same. Apathy in the classroom. Dwindling attendance. Visitors as far as the eye can see. And this is part of the reason why I waited several weeks to write this post. Fall semester is a funny beast. It always starts off well, but soon enough, the other shoe drops, and we're back to the same old same old. But this fall, something happened that I didn't expect.

The other shoe has yet to drop.

In my classes, attendance--at week four--is still up. Assignments are being completed on time. There have been no mad texters, or drooling snorers, nor have I had to boot any students out of the classroom for cause. Hell, they're still laughing at my jokes, although I have yet to decide whether this is a good or bad thing. But for better or worse, at this point in the semester, they're still around and they're still interested.

I'll take it. Gods know I'm due.

This is not to say that everything's perfect. I still have students that can barely spell their own names. Most of the emails I receive still read like text messages. But as Forrest told us, stupid is as stupid does, and that part won't be going away anytime soon. But this semester--for now, at least--I'm pretty happy with my box of chocolates.

But don't worry, gentle readers. Midterms are coming, and I'm sure reality will hit soon enough. For now, however, I'm not looking this particular gift horse in the mouth.