The Dream

Next week the new term starts for me. Four classes, all labs. And I am waiting for “The Dream”. It comes in a few variants, but always has the same core terror. I can’t find the room and it is time for class to start. Or I take are wrong turn on the way to school, get lost and miss the class. Or I show up on time but in the wrong room. Or I am in the right room but no students show up. You get the point, and if you are a teacher you probably have had a variant of this dream. Sometimes the same for a few nights before class starts, and sometimes different ones. I guess they are the product of the anxiety of the unknown (even for a seasoned teacher) or maybe the result of the “Fraud Hypothesis” (http://searchesworld.blogspot.com/2009/10/fraud-fake.html) at work. In my case 40 years of teaching doesn’t seem to help much. The dreams come unbidden, cause mischief and vanish with the first successful class. Not one single one of these dreams has come to pass.
But, I have been sitting in my office burrowed into something when a student appears at the door and says “Professor? Are we having class today?” Ever do that? Forgot the class? Normal I’ve been told.
Image: http://cullenboysanonymous.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/white-rabbit-with-watch-5.jpg