So, How Many Classes

My semester begins in a week (a week and a day for those who are counting) and I still do not know if I am teaching one class, two classes or three classes. I love the way this all works. My class on the main campus will go. 22 is a full class and I have 22 students. In fact, the few times when someone has either changed the schedule and dropped the course, or has been booted out by administration if funds were not received in time, within 24 hours, someone else has claimed that spot. It will be a class of 22 when I start. If past experiences hold true, there will be a couple of additional students that will want to add it and I will let them in, bringing it up to 24. Two to three will drop it and another one or two will just stop showing up somewhere in the middle of the semester and I will finish with about 20 people.

The other two classes are more unknowns. The college has five college centers for people who do not live right by the main campus. These are usually about 30 miles away in different directions. I have a Tuesday/Thursday class at one of the college centers. While 10 is usually the minimum required for a class to go, usually the administration will let it go with as few as eight at a campus center. My class, which meets late morning and therefore should be at an ideal time for students, has had as many as 11 students. Right now, it is down to seven. It has had this many for the past four or five days. So, I do not know if there will be more people registering this last week or if they will let it go with only seven students. The dean there is very good (actually excellent) and may very well see what can be done to get me at least one more student in the class. We will see. The decision should be made probably mid-week this week as to if it will run or not.

The third class is also at this college center but it is made up of High School Seniors (from up to as many as six different area High Schools) who come to the college to take classes in a college environment. It will not start until two weeks after the ‘regular’ college classes start. Information for this class is not available on line and I probably will not know until a week or so after the college semester starts how many people are in the class and if it will go.

Strictly from a monetary standpoint, I would like the classes to go, but there is more than that. I enjoy teaching, so I would like the classes to go. Also, it does take time to get a syllabus together and get things set for each class. As a result, since I have already put in the time, I would like the classes to go.

Right now, however, all I can do is wait and see (and moan and complain), so that is exactly what I will do.