Tired

Today is my least favorite day of the entire semester.  It is the day that I calculate and post grades.  Invariably there will be students who are disappointed.  I try to remind them throughout the semester that I don't "give" grades, I just add up the points and do the math.  I try to remind them that a grade is a reflection of their work throughout the semester.  But someone will call or email or show up and try to finagle more points, and I hate having to deal with that.  I have had students threaten violence in the past, but that's rare.  More often it's just begging and pleading that becomes annoying. 

This semester has been rough.  I took over teaching the classes of another professor when she needed to take a medical leave of absence.  While the students seemed grateful that their semester could be salvaged - rather than being set back in their timeline for applying to the selective admissions programs - they also began to wheedle me to see how much they could get.  I had been "encouraged" by the Dean to "make any necessary accommodations" to help the students "adjust to the transition".

The previous instructor had already assigned quite a bit of work for the students, some of which she was planning to count in their grade, and some of which would be extra credit.  The first day I walked into the class - with the Dean - to meet a barrage of questions, I was asked if they would be given credit for that work.  I had been unaware of the work that had been assigned and not yet graded, so I simply said "I will make sure that you get credit for the work you have done."  When pressed, my answer was "I had not factored that material into my grading scheme, but since you were assigned it previously, I will make sure that you get credit for it.  It will probably count as extra credit."

Ugh.

She had told them they could have extra credit for giving blood.  She had told them to "make up data" and write a "pretend" lab report analyzing the made up data and she would give them extra credit.

?!?!?!?!?!?!

I am not really an "extra credit" kind of person.  At the academic level of these courses, we're a little past the "extra credit" stage.  If you have the time to work on extra credit, you have the time to study the course material.  This is a content-heavy class, and the students need to know the content to be able to be successful in their academic program and career.  I sure don't want to have a nurse come in who doesn't know her anatomy, but managed to give enough blood to get through her anatomy class.

But I said it.  So I have to do it.  And since I didn't give them a due date, I guess I'll still accept the ones I found slipped under my door when I got here this morning.... This is SO not how I normally do things!

On top of this being my least favorite day of the semester, I am so VERY tired.  The Wee One didn't sleep well.  I believe we may have some teeth coming in.  On top of the allergies or cold or whatever is making her congested and coughing.  The last few nights I haven't been nursing her to sleep.  I nurse her in her room and then we go to bed in my bed.  She moves around and sings and talks, but eventually she lays her head on the pillow next to mine and the next thing I know, she's breathing deeply (or snoring).  Yay!  Last night that happened at 8:30.  Then she was up at 9:30, 10:30, midnight, 2:00, 4:00, 5:30.

Ugh.

At 4:30, when she wasn't able to nurse because she was so congested, I gave her 1 mL of Benadryl.  She finally nursed at 5:30 and went back to sleep.  And stayed asleep through my alarm so I could shower.  But then she didn't want to wake up, and was groggy in the car on the way to daycare.  So she's tired this morning too.

We'll get it worked out.  So far the "not nursing to sleep" thing is working.  I'm glad that I'm taking it in little steps.  It feels very gentle that way.  Even if we are still tired.