You know, in all the years I’ve been here, I’ve never actually
been on campus the second week of May before.
As you might recall, almost all of May is a gap between the
spring and summer semesters, during which time there are a series of workshops
and, for the yearlings and faculty, the trip to the Island. I’ve never been
clear on whether the gap exists to create space for the Island trip, or if the
trip is simply a way of putting to use a gap that has some other purpose. In
any case, the trip leaves a few days after Beltane and returns 14 days later,
after which there are the workshops, including some required for yearlings.
While the masters and the yearlings are away, senior students are allowed to
leave campus, or they can take any of a number of other workshops. Since the
masters aren’t here, these are taught by mastery candidates.
I never had a chance to go to any of those candidates’
workshops, because first I was a yearling, and then I was assisting Charlie on
the Island. This year, I can’t go to the Island, because June is going, and a
big part of the trip is an opportunity for the yearlings to bond as a group.
June can’t do that if she is distracted from the group by my presence. At
least, that is the theory—neither of us are convinced it’s true, but the
masters haven’t given us a choice; she has to go to the Island, and I am
barred.
So, here I am.
May isn’t the only time candidates can teach, of course.
Some teach often. But the middle of May is the only time that we’re not in
competition for student attention with masters. It’s also the first chance new
candidates, like me, usually have to get on the schedule. In fact, we all more
or less have to teach something.
Eddie, of course, is teaching three back-to-back workshops
on dog training. If you take all three, it adds up to a full three-credit
course. And the public is allowed in. Curiously, participants are not allowed
to bring their dogs, except to the first session. After that, Eddie supplies
dogs to work with. As he says, “I’m not training your dogs, you have to train your own dogs. I’m
training you.”
Ebony is teaching one workshop in creativity—it’s mostly
discussion—and a second one on ceramics.
Rick is teaching tree identification and advanced tracking.
That’s two workshops, I mean, not one on both topics.
Ollie is teaching just one, on Christian therapy. It is,
predictably, poorly attended, as most people around here believe Christians
should be in therapy, not offering it. It’s probably very good, though. He’s
spending the rest of the gap off campus with Willa.
I can’t attend any of those workshops, though, because I’m
teaching, get this, six of them. It was probably a bad idea, and I think I was allowed
to do it largely so I would know not to try anything this insane again, but I
wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity—because most of my topics are
predictably unpopular, too, and if I had competition from the masters I’m not
sure I could get enough attendees to test my material.
I’m doing things like statistical literacy and scientific
reasoning. Five out of my six (the sixth being introductory tracking) are drawn
directly from my first two semesters at grad school, and I’m focusing on the
drier, more technical things I learned there on purpose—because Charlie said I
have to teach all of it, or at least
try to, and this is the only way I can think to do these topics. The fun things
I can do any time.
It’s not that these topics are inherently boring. I wasn’t
bored when I learned them. But as Charlie has said, retention depends on
context. As a grad student, I had reasons to learn things like ecological research
design. And I had an already-established interest in natural science. A lot of
the people here have neither. So, it’s on me to figure out ways to explain why
anyone should bother with my classes.
Wish me luck.
It looks like summer, here. Everything is green and lush. We’ve
even had a few warm days, though no hot ones. But, unlike summer, there are no
mosquitoes yet, and even few flies. When I’m not busily rushing around getting
my workshops started, I can take naps out on the central field in the sunshine.
It’s glorious.
I just wish June were here. How do people cope who must
spend months or years away from their sweethearts? It’s been less than a week
since I’ve seen mine and already I’m going crazy.
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