During exams, the library stays open until 2 a.m. Yes, you heard me right, 2 a.m. This happens to be my turn for the 2 a.m. shift. Unfortunately, it’s only 10 and I’m already sleepy. (OK, I was actually sleepy at 8:30, but that’s not the point of this post).
Working until the wee hours of the morning is not high on my list of favorite things to do. Lately, I’m more of a night person than morning person. My mom would say that I’ve never been much of a morning person. What is my favorite thing to do is to hang out with students. Some of the neatest moments I’ve had at work have been during my 2 a.m. days.
A couple years ago, when i first became director, I had unexpectedly ended up working until 2 a.m. on the first day of exams. It turned out to be something like a 17 hour day because I had come in at my normal time; however the evening person got sick and couldn’t work. It was the end of a long, discouraging semester in which I felt like I had done everything wrong as a teacher. I was skulking in my office grading papers, when one of my freshmen advisees popped her head in my office. She had seen me working in my office and stopped by to say hi and thanks for helping her out that semester. It was a completely unexpected moment that made my 17 hour day not seem so bad. All it took was the encouragement and thanks from one student to make the difficulties of the entire semester go away. It was a “this is why I like my job” moment.
Tonight, I have the privilege of working with many of the senior work study students that are graduating in a few days. Since tomorrow is the last day of exams, for many of them, this is their last shift in the library. Most of them have worked in the library for 3 or 4 years and have become like friends and family. I know about their families, hopes and dreams for the future, and will attend the wedding of two of them later this summer. I look forward to seeing the direction and shape their lives will take.
In a few days, they’ll all be crossing the graduation stage. I will cheer for them and have tears in my eyes like I always do at graduation. This class is special to me for some reason. Over the last seven years I’ve discovered that some classes are harder to see go than others just because I form more connections with some classes than others. I know many of these students from being their freshman advisor, teaching them in class, working in the library, going to Washington, D.C. with them, or traveling on mission trips.
In some ways, over the last four years, I feel like I’ve grown with them as I’ve grown into being the library director. The last few years have felt like a training ground and trial by fire at times. I’ve finally come to accept my new role and have even begun to feel like it fits me. Maybe I’ll get a diploma too on Saturday.
