15 is the magic and highly stressful number in a semester. It's the last week of classes, which means finals and final papers happen next week.Students look sleep deprived and slightly more grungy than usual. Faculty increase their scurrying around to get the last of the committee work done before the University closes for the holiday season. And, the central heat becomes functional and very necessary.
I like Week 15 because I can breathe. The students who are going to "get it" have gotten it. I don't need to prepare a lecture because students do presentations of their papers this week. I do have a slight anxiety about the upcoming stack of papers that I'll have for grading next weekend. But, that's not so bad.
Week 15 is also when the invitations go out to faculty for this Department or that School Holiday Party. That somewhat obligatory, bright light, non-cocktail, mid-day event. Everyone is expected to bring a gift donation for the announced charity. Great, I can do that and have put something under the tree each year. But, my thing is why December? Why not have the party in February when the winter seems like a permanent condition and we all suffer from a slight case of SAD.
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