"Were you consistent?" Mr. Gay wanted to know.

"Were you consistent?" my Honor's English teacher, Mr. Gay, asked me during the first week of my senior year of high school. He had asked me to T.A. for him, and he was teaching me how to evaluate and grade student writing from his freshman English classes. He gave me a set of essays to score, and when I finished and returned them, he read only the one on top. "This looks good," he said. "If you were consistent with all the others, then I don't need to look at them. Were you consistent?"

In that moment, I realized two things: (1) I had no idea if I'd been consistent in my scoring of those papers, and (2) that one day I would teach English professionally. I'm sure back then I was thinking high school, but thank heavens (!) at some point thereafter, I had a better idea. 

Education is a core value in our family. We were committed to helping our kids financially through their undergraduate degrees, and next May, our fifth and final kid will complete his bachelor's (Go, Seth!). So far, only Luke has moved on to earn a graduate degree (Ph.D in psychology), but I think both Shulamith and Eli will pursue master's degrees at some point, and Seth will for sure need grad school of some sort.

Still, I wouldn't have predicted that so many of us would remain in fields related to education. This week, five of us returned for the 2023-2024 school year!

As mentioned above, Seth began his senior year at Utah Valley University, completing a B.S. degree in sociology and criminal justice.

Eli returned to Ridge View Elementary, teaching 3rd grade. He says the kids are small! (Compared to his 4th graders last year.)

Shulamith made a roller coaster jump from teaching part time at Salt Lake Community College the past few years to teaching half-day kindergarten at her kids' elementary school. She teaches a morning class and is home by 12:30, and all three of her kids are so happy she's at their school.

I don't have a "Back-to-School" picture of him, but Dr. Luke Erichsen continues in his position as a school psychologist for the Maryland School District. 

And I'm still chillin' with my adjunct gig, teaching freshman writing courses at Utah Valley University, Salt Lake Community College, and (for the first time) The University of Utah! It's way too many classes this time around, but if I don't die, I'll try to pare that down spring semester.

Here's to the 2023-2024 academic year, everyone! I'm predicting awesomeness for all of us.

(One final note: Mr. Gay passed away four years ago at age 90. If you're watching from above, Mr. Gay, know that you were my mentor and hero as an English teacher, and to this day, I try hard to be consistent in my grading.)

The bliss of clean!

My house hasn't been clean since mid-June when summer semester began. "Your house is always clean," people like to tell me. But no. Not true. My house always looks clean because I keep it tidy. There is never clutter. As the saying goes, "A place for everything, and everything in its place." And I spot clean constantly. Ten minutes before I have to leave for class? What can I clean in ten minutes? Five minutes until I'm meeting Shulamith outside for a walk? What can I clean in five minutes? Microwave has three minutes left? What can I clean in three minutes? It works great, and my house always looks clean.

But that doesn't mean it is.

During the semester, I don't have the time or energy to deep clean regularly, which is what is needed. 

Oh how I wish I didn't need quite as much sleep. Or that I could grade papers faster. Or that I didn't teach so many classes. Or something. Because every semester, I get progressively sadder, as the weeks pass and my house deteriorates. 

I am now in the middle of my three-week break between summer and fall semesters. Let the deep cleaning begin! So far I have dusted every inch of furniture, as well as baseboards, ceiling fans and vents, hand railings, and light fixtures. I've vacuumed and mopped all the floors, scrubbed the kitchen and all four bathrooms, and cleaned out those gross window sill tracks in every room. Still to do: clean and sweep garage and back patio area, rent a power washer to wash the outside of house, and hire someone to wash windows. 

Already, my mood and overall well-being are improving. It's hard to describe how strong the positive correlation is between the cleanliness of my house and the peace of my soul. A week from today my semester at the U. of Utah begins, and two days later, both UVU and SLCC as well. The slow but steady deterioration will commence. 

But I won't think about that right now. Not today. Today I'm gonna gaze at these dust-free baseboards, and take in the smell of a freshly-cleaned kitchen. Bask in the joy of sparkling glass shower doors and mirrors. Feel the clean floors beneath my feet. 

A week ago, in a moment of insanity, I agreed to teach two classes at the University of Utah this fall. (These are in addition to my three at UVU and three at SLCC.)

I may die.

But that's okay. Because today. Today... I live in the bliss of clean!