Five Emotions of the First Week

I came upon a great post recently from ProfHacker.com entitled "Five Emotions of the First Week" which I think is appropriate given the start of the semester was less than a week ago..but here we are already at Day #3. Take a moment to pat yourselves on the back, you have survived so far. Congrats :)

I think the same five emotions run through us as tutors in our respective Writing Centers. The initial excitement of coming back to campus and the Writing Centers after a long hiatus - longer for some, too short for others - or starting out as a new tutor for the first time this semester -- it can be a bit overwhelming at first and you may be caught in the emotional melange. But if I can offer you any kind of advice, it is this - it will get better, it will improve, the sun is still shining. You will find (or regain) a rhythm, a routine, a schedule and it won't be the barely contained, perpetual chaos that you may feel now. This week is a (new) return, a start. And we all need to start somewhere even if it is with feelings of anticipation, regret, and nervousness -- once we have made the initial effort to put one foot in front of the other and walk our intended line can we find relief.

“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” -- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life.