Graduating student thanked me.

The other day I ran into a graduating student at the gym, this one (white) guy from Cali who I had in my first batch as a freshman and who is now graduating.

I was walking over past him, and he jumped on the chance to talk to me, and he aid that he wanted to thank me for teaching writing, and that he really remembered what he learned when he went over his one paper on this one short story with me in the spring of his freshman year, in particular how we used this one technique I had taught in class.

"That's really nice to hear," I was like, "Especially since that's usually my weakest unit!".

He seemed taken aback, so I had to explain my comment more, and I just said that different things resonate with different people, and I had noticed over time that that technique has tended to resonate the least.

Later, I was thinking what nice feedback that was, and that what I teach really does affect people.

I also was trying to remember if I took out any loans that year, since if I did, in effect I was subsidizing his instruction, which is kind of a f*cked situation.

Since tenure-stream jobs are drying up, too, and because of that the entering Ph.D. students are getting more noticeably credulous and dumber since the smart people are selecting themselves out of Ph.D. programs, I was also wondering about what's the quality of teaching future students will get from people in my position.

Oh well, f*ck that.

"Not my problem."

(That's my new motto.)

. . .