Friday Freewrite Fifteen

My classroom at OSU

The day has finally arrived. My final Friday at OSU. Actually, until this term, I never worked on Fridays, but they were kind enough to give me a concentrated class (or two) that met three times a week instead of two times a week, which is what you really need to do to get in shape with Pilates. I resigned my position the last week of January (I think it was the 25th), and I have been counting the days ever since. Now, I am down to zero more days! I have two classes today and one more bike ride to campus and back. I still have about 4 hours more work, and the work is always with the people in the class that put the least amount of time into the class and expect me to work miracles and give them a passing grade when they have not done the work. So, that will be the majority of my time because a student who I have never seen before came up to me the second to last day before class was over with a stack of medical forms dating back to the end of March. Well, sir, you had all this time to tell me you could not come to class, but you waited until today? He tried to blame it on me "not being in the building" when I was there every single beginning of the class period or waiting out in front to send people on their walks or even walk with them if they wanted. So now he wants me to work a miracle so he can pass. This is why I don't want to work there any more. For this particular class, I really have spent twice as much time at a computer grading and fielding people telling me that their grade point average will be ruined if they don't pass this class. I spend a lot of time communicating and grading. The ones who have done the work have been a joy, and I got the sweetest note from one of them the other day telling me how much he enjoyed me as a teacher. 

The student blaming me for "not being there" stuck with me for the last three days. I am not good at being accused of things when I have poured so much time into this class. SO MUCH TIME! 

My Pilates class has been great though. But that is because I don't give the students wiggle room. My expectations are clearly spelled out in the syllabus, and I hold to them. I have a policy for COVID too that works fine for these students. It is great. So, I will rejoice at my last OFFICIAL class this morning.  There is no back up plan for walking every week. If they get COVID for more than two weeks, they have to go into a special system, and according to the administrator of that system, one of my students in it has not completed the things expected there. 

All that to say is that I am leaving, and I am happy about that. But I hold memories of great students and coworkers. I realize that I hold a lot of brain and heart space for the problem ones though, and I don't need to do that anymore, and I think that will be really helpful for me.

I was having a Centering Prayer time last night, and that is what my mind wondered off to many times. So I have less to occupy me. I think I fulfilled what God called me to when I went there, and I feel very happy and peaceful that I did a good job with what I had been given. 

I will ride off for the last time from OSU in 6 hours!!! WOW! 

On other fronts, my back went out because I forgot to wear my lift for all the walking we did at Newport on Memorial Day. So, I went to do a brisk walk on Tuesday morning, and there was an explosion in my left lower back. So I could not get in to see Dr. Myers until Thursday, but I did a relaxation and stretching class on Wednesday and will do a Ball class today. Dr. Myers fixed it all up, and I am good to go. George had to take me to work Wednesday because of my back. So I took my mat home that day, and I don't have anything else to clear out of my locker now. YAY! I am so excited to be going. I know I have mentioned that so many times here, but I really feel like I made a really good decision.

I did get "rejected" from one of the other things that I do. I have one role in a group I work for and asked to take on another role because it is a better fit for my gifting, and I was flatly rejected without any discussion. That hurt.