I’ve been notified by my school that everyone will be returning in August. Which is good for me because we’ve been on a max-two people in the lab at a given moment. My students have been good at taking shifts, taking care of each other’s animals and cells, and staying relatively productive through all of this. I’m proud of them. And considering that I’ve been out most of the time, I’m doubly proud of them. I’m happy with this bunch because the productive and good students have positively influenced the newest batch. They have good work hours, good receptivity to outside input, and seem generally well motivated. It’s interesting how the group mentalities work with a bad student bringing everyone down, but how a couple good ones really perking up the whole joint.
I’m also happy that we will be returning because I am teaching a very group-project and lab-heavy based class. And I had no freaking clue how to do this over Teams. But now I don’t have to think about it. I just get to continue with the lesson plan I started a couple months ago. I miss the energy on campus at the start of a new semester and also the bustle of my lab. I’m shopping around for in-office childcare options like cribs and play areas. I also found (what I hope is a joke setup) a way to store a baby in a desk drawer. One thing I normally do while working is play music. I don’t think I’ll be doing that during sleep time. And I have become accustomed to napping while the little one sleeps. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do as much of that come August.
academic infiltration 