Mood-changing students

Yesterday I could have had a very bad day. Things felt busier than usual, I felt less than well-prepared for a class, and to top it all off I forgot my USB thumb drive on which I had some material prepared the previous evening for a class.

[USB drives seem essential small items these days, along with mobile 'phones. I have a gonzo theory about both technologies; 'phones, fairly obviously, fulfil our need to connect with other humans; on the other hand, our USB drives help us remember important things in our lives (unless, of course, we forget the drive itself). It does seem risky to delegate two of our most important characteristics, communication and memory, to devices... ]

So I turned up to my 9 am 'Earth Surface Processes and Soils' lecture feeling somewhat frazzled and grumpy. Usually in that frame of mind the message doesn't get across so well; that may well have been the case, because (unusually) there were a number of good questions about the material which turned into a useful class discussion. My mood improved markedly. The next class, the one which could have done with more preparation, went smoothly as well.

My afternoon practical class was the last mood changing experience; the students were wrestling with a computer-based problem in Land & Water Management and my interactions with them helpful for both parties, and (certainly from my point-of view) pleasant.

I learned something about being an academic yesterday. Maybe the lesson was just for me; it certainly reinforced an idea that relationships are central to the teaching and learning experience. My anxiety was about the mechanics of teaching; what made the difference was how a group of humans, having a common focus, interacted with one another.

But I'm still lost without my USB...