Teaching my morning Rhetorical Studies class today was like herding balloons. They were exhausted--papers were due and there's a nasty flu going around that takes people out for 3-4 days minimum--and our discussion consisted of a series of bursts of intellectual exchange, each of which went floating across the room to eventually drift off into silence.
It wasn't that they weren't prepared and that they weren't interested in the material but that their exhaustion made them unable to develop their thoughts much beyond their initial insight. As much as I tried to gather the insights together and move them along, and as much as other students joined the discussion and furthered the conversation, it would slowly die out. Several moments of silence would follow before there was another burst of activity.
Finally, they fell into quiet contemplation, so I wrapped things up for the week, previewed next week's readings, and then sent them off into the ether.
It was one of the oddest class meetings I've had in a long time--charming in it's own way, but different.
That is interesting, but I think pi gets the most unusual teaching experience of the week award. ;)
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