Caveat: well, whatever

Now that I have made my departure announcement "official" – by telling my students in my classes – and even putting it on facebook – I have to confront the ways people deal with the news.

It's interesting seeing different student reactions to the news.

Of course some students are clearly sad. And although that's sad to see, at least it also shows me that they have some attachment to me, which is gratifying for my ego, right?

In fact, the student reactions that most depress me are the reactions of shrugging indifference, often from students I have known for quite a long time. Certainly, there are cases where the student's reaction is a sort of emotional self-protection, a refusal to admit outward interest, and their actual feelings remain opaque. But there are clearly other cases where it's just simply that, for all that I was a part of a student's life for 2 or 3 or 4 years, I just don't mean that much to them. And I guess that's OK, too. Nevertheless, there can be noticeable asymmetries in these feelings – which is only to say, some of these indifferent students, I will miss a great deal.

The other day a student said to the news, simply, "well, whatever," and rolled her eyes.

[daily log: walking, 7.5km; carrying heavy box to post office, 0.5km]

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