This is an intense time of the year to work in the education system.

The last two weeks of the semester tend to bring on additional stresses for both students and teachers. Among all the holiday excitement comes required completion of projects, presentations, papers and final examinations.

I can feel the added tension as students stop by my office to unwind. It’s obvious in the way they hold their bodies, either extra stiff from anxiety or hunched over from exhaustion. Facial expressions range from a scowl, to agony, to the ever so frequent deer-in-the-headlights look.

Our Student Engagement Department, being sensitive to the added stress, provide special events to try to ease the tension we all feel. Many colleges are bringing in emotional support animals during finals week to allow students, faculty and staff the chance to decompression. What better way to refocus and release tension than to cuddle a furry, warm, lovable Golden Retriever puppy?

Students are not alone in their dread of end of semester coursework. Instructors have the arduous task of grading, sometimes hundreds of assignments within a very short time period. I witness teachers weighed down with large satchels of papers, walking to their cars each evening. As we get closer to the end of the semester I observe their tired eyes growing more red and wide yawns that they no longer fight to hide.

Though I don’t play a role in the academic part of college life, I find myself having mixed emotions this time of year as well. I have watched students go through their rituals of learning. Some find that their processes don’t work so well and have to re-examine either their approach to studies or maybe even their academic major of focus.

Everyone, including students, faculty and staff, in school settings long for the Christmas break that is promised, but often feel overwhelmed with all the work they must expend before they can enjoy the vacation time. The energy within the workplace feels very much like I imagine the last two miles of a marathon might feel. The runner has exerted tremendous effort to get this far, but their legs get shaky and their willpower begins to fade. They have two choices: give in to the exhaustion and stop, or push through no matter the cost.

I love working in higher education. I love the enthusiasm I see at the beginning of each semester, the promise of new insights and the visions of academic goals being achieved. I also love the routine and cycle each semester brings. There is a clear beginning, middle and end.

And, in the end, I get to find out how I did. Did I earn an A, B or C, or did I have to drop the class before the end of the semester?  I don’t necessarily like being evaluated, even by an expert in the field, but I do like knowing where I stand.

I treasure being a part of this journey with students and faculty. Seeing the growth in conflict resolution and in communication one to another is heartwarming. My emotions are just as strong when one student says to me, “I think I failed,” as to the one who says, “I passed! I will be graduating and moving on at the end of the semester.”

When you work in the people helping field you share in the individual’s disappointments as well as their victories.  I cannot help but carry within my heart their passions and endeavors.