Anybody have the time?

So I teach 3 labs right now, O-Chem 1 wednesday afternoon, and 2 O-Chem 2 labs thursday morning.

Not that big of a deal. Well labs are 3 hours long. Today was the first real wet lab of the O-Chem 1-ers. It's a full lab-time deal. It involves a simple and a fractional distillation. Kevin's lab last night went over apparently. So I was feeling the push for time.

They had a 15 minute quiz, started at 2:30, and they ended at 2:45. Fair enough. Then I had to teach them everything I know about distillations and setting them up. So I lectured and walked them through everything they would be doing. I look at the clock when I'm done saying everything I HAVE to say before they start working. It's 3:00. Well, for some reason I had a brain aneurysm (is that really how you spell it? that's what spell checker went for), and I thought, oh gosh, I just talked for 45 minutes! They only have 2 hours to get through all this stuff!

I then proceeded to 'run' around the lab like a panic-stricken crazy person trying to make sure everyone had things set up correctly with no water condenser tubes popping off and spraying water everywhere (I in doing so did cause one groups to spray). Seriously I was all rushed feeling and worried that we wouldn't get out of there ontime.

For almost an HOUR AND a HALF! At 4:20 I'd checked on everyone, had been all along, going around fixing things, making sure they all understood. I was walking back to my stool to sit for a minute, and it dawned on me! Lab had started at 2:30, it was Wednesday, this was not a Thursday 2:00 lab! My students had another hour to finish, not a half hour! I felt so relieved. I immediately started laughing, and proceeded to announce to everyone that they had a full hour and since they all had their fractional set up they'd all be good and didn't have to feel rushed.

They all (really I think all 14 did) looked at me like they weren't sure what I was talking about. They all knew they had another hour. No one else had gotten all mixed up and tried to cut the lab time short. It was hilarious to me. I asked if they had felt rushed because I'd been feeling very panicky and pressed for time. But somehow none of them picked up on that attitude of mine.

It was just me. It was really funny to me, I really did keep laughing. One of the students thought it was funny how much I cracked myself up.

Anyhow, it was great. Thought I'd share. I thought this could be short to type up, hah, I should never think things like that. I still have some grading to finish for tomorrow morning. I'm nuts.

Good night.