Circumference

I just set this up and have precious little time to do much with it at the moment. I will be back later to explain the title and introduce myself. But, by way of introduction, here's Fragment 802 from Emily Dickinson:

To ascertain the House
And if the soul's within
And hold the Wick of mine to it
To light, and then return --

Later.

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I've downloaded all of the student midterms, papers and reading journals that I have received so far. I guess I'll be grading papers all day tomorrow (Sunday), which is usually what I do on Sundays (and Tuesdays and any other day I have a block of time to read critically).

One of my students sent me her Blog address--she keeps her journal on her Blog--so, I thought I'd start one, too. My friends tell me I'm opinionated, though I'm not sure that's required to keep one of these. Maybe "curious" is better for a blog. Anyone can have an opinion; not everyone has curiosity.

I teach composition at a local university (notice I haven't told you where--that's to protect them as well as me!). My ideas are my own, and in no way, shape, or form reflect those of the institution where I teach. I love teaching; I think, if we each have a destiny, that teaching is mine. What I love most about it is seeing the look on students' faces when they finally understand, independent of anything I've said, what they have read. My most wonderful moments are when students crowd around me after class, eager to continue a discussion we've been having--their ideas tumble out, their eyes shine, they're excited. And, every once in a while, I get papers that take the top of my head off--full of profound and studied opinion and observation about a topic on which I briefly touched. When students begin to really think, they begin to really write well, and that's my deepest joy.

I have been teaching at this university for four years. I hope to continue doing this for the rest of my working life. The only profession I'd like more, I think, is as a professional book reader, but I think I'll have to wait until I retire.