Friday night review

It was with a bit of trepidation that I decided to have a review session yesterday evening. My students have a test in both lecture and lab next week, so a few had asked for some extra lab time. Since Friday evening was the only plausible time (for a variety of reasons), I scheduled the review for 6-8 p.m. I made it clear that I wasn't going to lecture; this was going to be time for them to ask questions and review the lab specimens.

Considering that it was a Friday night, I figured few people would attend. I'd been on campus since 9 a.m. for a department curriculum meeting, and brought a few magazines with me to occupy myself as the one or two students I expected to show up wandered around the lab.

Waiting for me at the door were ten students, and at least thirty five students showed up throughout the evening, with most staying for at least an hour. The students all got right to work looking at lab specimens, kept me running around the stockroom searching for more materials, and asked me dozens of questions throughout the evening. My original plan was to host the study session for 2 hours, but given the response I continued it for three. It was a blast.

There are currently 150 students officially enrolled across all 6 lab sections, so a fifth of the registered class attended. However, there are probably only around 100 to 120 students regularly attending, so at least a quarter of all my students showed up.

Tonight was a reminder that my students are, by far, the best around. They seemed to really appreciate my being there, and I loved their questions. What a great job.