Aufholjagd

Aufholjagd...the chase to catch up (I love that German lets me express that in one word).

I am back from Germany, still jet lagged and though physically here, not quite yet mentally and emotionally. After trying to get my hours straight this weekend, I am now trying to catch up with a deadline tonight. I wonder how many of my students will take this same journey: getting behind for whatever reason, and then trying to catch up, reading the assignments for each module and classifying, like I am right now, what to do first in order to "pass" the class.

I don't like being in this boat, and yet, there wasn't a whole lot I could have done to change it. I emailed my instructor as any dutiful and guilt-ridden student would, and my instructor, being the kind and understanding individual he is, showed empathy and allowed me to catch up later. I thanked him and promised to get back to it as soon as possible. And I am doing that right now. And yet, the instructor in me also knows that that is not what this is all about! Learning takes time to ponder, and write, and mull things over. The modules are structured to span over a week for a reason, not to be crammed into an afternoon of frantic catch up.

Just as a journey can't merely be summarized in quick photos of the most important sights, learning can't be "done" by checking things off a list. Sigh. And yet, here I go...