Shakespeare-related ramblings, both fannish and professional

[a_t_rain]

So, it's a new semester, but I've barely met my students yet, because between MLK Day weekend and the ice storm, there haven't been any F2F classes for nine days. I hope this doesn't make things too weird when we finally meet again. I always feel like those first few weeks are delicate, while classes are finding a vibe that's going to last for the

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[kellychambliss]

I always feel like those first few weeks are delicate, while classes are finding a vibe that's going to last for the rest of the semester, and rapport is getting established, or not.

Oh, totally. I always found it fascinating, that unique communal "personality" that each class developed. Never two the same. And those first days are crucial.

Usually the class "vibe" was the sum of the whole class, but occasionally, I'd get a situation in which one person set the tone for the entire semester. I still remember the class that was completely poisoned by one sneering, mocking guy who would roll his eyes or snort at others' comments or whisper sarcastic asides to his neighbor. The rest of the students completely shut down; I could never re-establish a good balance. I'll resent that kid till I die!

Which number is this new Norton? Eleventh? When I started college as a student, the anthology was in the third edition. By the time I retired, they'd reached the 10th.

[a_t_rain]

Yeah, it's the 11th, which is making me feel old. I never took the survey course, myself, because my college had Intro to Shakespeare and Contemporary Lit as options even at the freshman level, and those sounded much more exciting, but my first time teaching the survey was as a grad student in ... 2004 or 2005, I think, and it was the 7th edition back then. So, in about six years I'll have taught from half of the NAELs that ever existed.