I am an emotional sponge. Students come in, tell me their woes, and leave feeling lighter. I, however, soak up their stories. This frequently saddens me, but enriches me as well.

Today a young woman did not show up for her final exam in her astronomy lab. Although she is not one of the top students in the class, she has had good attendance. Several hours later she showed up to my office with bruises and scratches all over. Apparently, in the middle of the night, her boyfriend woke her up, then beat her up. From what she said, he'd never beaten her before, but had become increasingly physical over the past year. She went to the police and will be pressing charges. She had a slight concussion and was still in shock and commenced telling me all sorts of details about her relationship and decisions she'd made, obviously seeking assurance. Strange how open students will be with their instructors. It's one of the joys of the job, actually.

In the end, she left relieved that I would allow her to makeup the exam. She apologized for any inconvience she had caused me. Funny, I thought she was the one having the bad day.

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