Summer School

Now is the time for summer school. At our institution, the more senior faculty generally don’t have much desire to teach in the summer and the junior faculty need the extra pay. I have always enjoyed teaching summer school, gladly trading summertime freedom for some cold cash. One of my colleagues is in Paris right now, another I’ve literally not seen all summer. But for those of us who stick around, the summer term can be very rewarding.

First, the quality of students tends to be higher. A lot of the bright kids who go off to the Harvards or Princetons are nerdy enough to want to knock off some college credits while they are home for the summer. So we get some really sharp minds who seem more interested in the subject than in the Fall or Spring semesters.

Second, I love the length of time. The semester is compressed (over either one or two months) and classes are lengthier (usually 2 hours instead of one). This allows conversations in classes to continue from class session to class session more easily than during regular semesters. I don’t have to spend the first 10 minutes of the class simply reminding folks where we were at the end of the last class several days before.

Lastly I enjoy the class sizes. Instead of a class of 55 for intro to philosophy, get a class of 20 or 25. It allows for the class to slow down and pursue discussions for longer periods of time.
So I can say something I never imagined saying as a 16 year old:

I love summer school.