End Of The Semester Blues

I taught my last class of the semester this afternoon. (I still have a couple of finals to give, but they don't count since they're already prepared, and grading won't be too difficult because the classes are relatively small.)

Usually this is a cause for celebration, but for some reason I feel mildly depressed. Perhaps this is due to a vague sense of disappointment. Classes and semesters are like people. They have their own personalities, and each one is different. Some are pleasant, some are challenging, some are inspirational, but I've never had one this discouraging. Nothing confrontational, nothing outstandingly negative, just a lingering feeling of disconnectedness. I felt like never I really reached the kids.

They came to class for the most part, they did okay on assignments, projects, and exams, but there was no spark, no motivation - just an overwhelming atmosphere of ennui (a fancy french word that means a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction that comes from having too much time on one's hands and too little will to find something productive to do).

Maybe next semester I need to change my teaching style...