Some thoughts at the End of the Semester

Today was the last day of classes at NJIT, my 31st semester there (plus summer sessions).  The university wide Holiday party was also today.  I spent part of the time sitting with Joe K of the Chemical Engineering Department and the rest of the time with my librarian colleagues.  I spent some time today working on publicizing the New Jersey Chemistry Olympics which will take place next May.  The one good thing about this semester is that we had a temporary librarian working the bulk of the time at the so called reference desk. Most of the time we refer students to the Circulation Desk for the stapler. The other times we sit there like a scarecrow. After all of these years there, it is a real drag sitting there and answering the same old questions.  The Beanie Boy just never gave me a chance to advance or even spread my wings laterally.  I think I've done some good work there, but I was never rewarded with a promotion.  As I was leaving one of the students from my Freshman Seminar class handed in the one assignment I gave them for the semester.  I asked them to submit a blog or just a diary with their reflections on their first semester at NJIT.  As of now only 9 of the 22 students submitted this assignment.  I gave them something that I thought they would enjoy doing, but they just didn't want to bother.  This is the 12th time I've taught Freshman seminar as a way to do something away from the library managment, but this too has become a drag. If students fail to do their assignments in more important courses, they will pay the consequences. To quote the Mothers of Invention, "I'm only in it for the Money."

                                           

                                   

At the end of the day I think "I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough."  People who know be would have no problem guessing who made that quote.  If you know that song, you'll also know that it is completely taken out of context.