And we're off. One thing I am adjusting to being in education is getting used to the schedule. I don't know if there's another career out there that has summers off followed by shot gun start and being back to work full time. During the summer you know the first day is coming and then before you know it it's here, ready or not. What's funny is I look back at those three months and wonder if I really got anything meaning fun done.
This year is going to be a doozy. We've increased the first semester class size from 40 students to 110. That's a lot of bodies, a lot of stuffing, and a lot of contact with the students many of which have all kinds of trauma and drama going on in their outside lives. This aren't your traditional send them away to college students. And with all of that we have one of the highest NCLEX pass rates around, especially for an urban based community college.
Basically my new schedule is broken down in this way. Two 12-hour days for clinical (7a-7p) on Mondays and Thursdays and two 3-hour labs on Tuesday. But then there's the work that has to be done in and around those hours. Throw in some office hours and there you go. What kills me is the commute, 78 miles from home to the college in Newark. The gas and tolls really become a cost of doing business on the negative side.
For my first presentation I included a picture of my graduating class from 1996. That's me in the way back with the big fat white head. It's hard to comprehend that I started at Essex County College in 1993.
I do love teaching though and helping people help themselves. I realize I've been teaching in one way or another for my entire life. From mentoring fireman as a Captain in the fire department, being a charge nurse on the unit, being a healthcare provider offering therapy and medication management, and now standing up in front of a white board rambling on about all things the body and nursing.
And now early fall is here. It was always a season that I looked forward to. Fall is my favorite time of year and one of the best as far as the big-old-house is concerned. It's not too hot and not yet too cold. It's also the time when, at least it used to be, when fishing would start back up. In September the summer crowds have left, the water temps drop, and the baits start to move. It's a time when some of the visiting summer fish are still around and the bass start to move into the beaches and start moving down south. While it seems it used to kick off in September and heat up into November we now see things
getting going later with late November into December being the best fishing times. And that is still 2-3 months away. My fall schedule leaves a few days during the week to sneak down to the salt and give it a go. My next go at it will probably be a night shift at one of my favorite fall river and bay spots. While the late season blitzes are fun to get caught up with I prefer fishing alone and being a tad more technical when it comes to fishing. And there's always the "Fish when you can" thing which can bee good for the soul and mental health but maybe not for the numbers of fish caught.
