First Day of Finals

We have finals this week. In one of my classes, the students are giving presentations, but in my two sections of OB, we are having a traditional final. One section took their final Monday, the other is scheduled for Thursday. This has created a scheduling nightmare since students don't understand why they can't easily take the exam with the other section. (The primary reasons are fairness and fire codes.)

Now that I am done with my own schooling, I rarely have those anxiety dreams where I find out that I have to take a final exam for a class I've forgotten to attend all semester, but I do have different school related anxiety dreams. The night before last, I dreamed I didn't have enough copies of the exam for the students.

The final yesterday was late in the day --4:30-7:00--and the students were very funny before the exam began, as you can see in the pictures. Shouldn't they be fretful and sad right before a final? ; ) We all had an awkward moment when a bewildered and rather panicked young woman came into the classroom. Her class usually meets in at room at 5:25, but everything is moved in time and space during finals. At first, I thought she was confused about the schedule. "You know, it's finals week, right?" It was clear she wasn't going to leave until I helped her, but I had very little information to go on. I tried to encourage her to find a computer; instead, she decided to share with me the saga of the scheduling snafus related to her class's final. Luckily, some students in the atrium were able to assist. Meanwhile, the fun and games from my students devolved into scowls and boos.

The end of the semester always comes with mixed feelings. Like the students, I feel relief that we've completed the term and are heading into a break, but I am often sad to say goodbye to my students, and it's particularly true with this group.

a "lucky exam" shirt

having too much fun!