So, 2021's gone and 2022 just starting.

In a lot of ways, I don't really see this as a new year. Maybe after I retire but for me and I'm guessing other working teachers the year really starts in early September.

Still, the calendar changed over so even if it feels like midyear to me, it's still worth a quick look back.

Obviously, a trying year for all of us so I won't dwell to much on that. Professionally, I think the highlight came in early June when our first set of Advanced Certificate students filed and received their state certifications as CS teachers. That was big. I had the undergraduate CS Daedalus program running long enough to have grads and a bit of a history but taking working teachers through my program and to state certification let me check off another mission completed box. It felt good, particularly to be able to do it with long time friends and collaborators like JonAlf and Topher.

The lowlight professionally was probably my in person teaching. Don't get me wrong, teaching is still the highlight of what I do but I don't think I was up to par this past semester. Truth be told, I think I did a better job fully remote in the prior year. There's more to say about that but I think it's worth its own post in a few days. TL;DR - teaching in masks and with fixed seating turned good lessons into bad lectures. It also sucks when you overall don't feel super comfortable in the environment so it basically becomes, you go to class, you teach, you leave.

There was a teaching highlight, however which was teaching my Ethics course. That was fun and since it was remote and with the teachers I worked with over the summer, I think it went pretty well overall.

On the personal front, I read more, programmed less, and continued to try to learn to paint.

Overall, I can't say much good about last year and I think a lot of people feel that way so I won't dwell on it.

As to this coming year and the rest of this school year? I think I'm looking forward to the fact that in late May we'll be graduating our first couple of CS Education Masters students. That's the last box I feel I have to check to be able to say mission accomplished on what I set out to do at Hunter and then some. Other than that it should (hopefully) be business as usual and that's not a horrible thing. I'm unsure if things will be better in class before the Fall given omicron but we'll see.

Devorah and I are planning on going away late next week so that should recharge the batteries to get ready for the Spring semester. Heading off to San Diego - never been so if you've got some pointers on what to do that might be off the beaten path, drop me a line.