December 8, 2016

I teach my last class today.

I look forward to never having to require anyone to read something or to force them to listen to me. It's not just about freedom for me. It's about freedom from me.

UPDATE: Done! Still exams to write and grade and loose ends to tie up. The official end of the semester is January 12th — my birthday.

142 comments:

Wince said...

"I look forward to never having to require anyone to read something or to force them to listen to me."

Meade may beg to differ.

Anonymous said...

Congrats Ann! I hope you have a lovely retirement. Thank you for the interesting reading I get to do every day. It's a destination for me...certainly not required or forced.

Henry said...

Congratulations. I've enjoyed your blog for many years; I'm very glad it will continue! Thank you.

Curious George said...

"I look forward to never having to require anyone to read something or to force them to listen to me. It's not just about freedom for me. It's about freedom from me."

Law school is voluntary, as is teaching. Every day you and the students have a choice. You, and they, will have no more freedom tomorrow than today.

David Begley said...

Those Badgers better give you a standing ovation. And we want a full report.

Bad Lieutenant said...

And you a law professor!


...D'oh!

Lucien said...

Ann: Your students are not forced to listen to you or to read what you assign. They can skip class or show up unprepared. They (or their parents, or the taxpayers) are paying for the privilege of your tutelage. Sometimes students forget this.

mezzrow said...

No excuses. It's all up to you.

This kind of freedom is both a burden and an opportunity. For example, I choose to check in here on an amazingly regular basis. Go figure...

(insert appropriate smiley face here)

MikeR said...

Best wishes.

Curious George said...

"David Begley said...
Those Badgers better give you a standing ovation. And we want a full report."

For what?

RBE said...

Hope it is a happy Day! Congratulations!

Lost My Cookies said...

Congratulations!

mockturtle said...

Enjoy! :-)

Priscilla said...

Congratulations and best wishes!

Priscilla said...

Congratulations and best wishes!

Roger Sweeny said...

And soon you'll never have to grade a pile of exams again. As the academic saying goes, "I teach for free. They have to pay me to grade all those exams."

Marcus Carman said...

You'll always be Professor Althouse. I look forward to your class every day.

traditionalguy said...

That'll do Professor.

Now there is free time for setting up your Roads Scholar course for the history Madison, Wisconsin and environs.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I teach my last class today.

Good. That should free you up for more important things, like more blogging.

( I'm always amazed at the amount of material you produce, and the amount of material you must read in order to be able to produce it. )

Mr. D said...

And you’ll wake up tomorrow and find that you’re in bed with Suzanne Pleshette.

Michael K said...

I suspect you will miss students after a while. I do.

Grading exams must be the worst. I never had to do that as all my teaching was person to person or person (me) to group and no written exams . The students did have practical exams which was kind of fun for me.

Comanche Voter said...

At the end of the school term, the teachers are happy to leave the students behind--and the students are happy to leave the teacher behind.

If a student is lucky, some teacher, somewhere along the line, will have taught (or shown) him or her how to think critically. Those teachers are rare; you take them where you find them. I didn't find one at Boalt Hall.I was lucky in finding one in an upper division American literature class in college. So I was already "primed" by the time I got to law school. I don't doubt that more than a few of those young men and women who sat in your classes in Madison caught their critical thinking spark from you. It's good to reflect on what one has accomplished.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Congratulations, Ann. Well done.

David said...

"It's about freedom from me."

But they will just become enslaved to someone else. Given the lockstep in academia, likely someone less challenging in important ways.

It's a big moment, Ann Althouse. You have done well.

Bob Ellison said...

Congratulations and good luck!

FleetUSA said...

BRAVO

robother said...

The flip side of our last day of school chant: "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!"

Roost on the Moon said...

Congratulations and best wishes!

mikee said...

As a grad student, I got a stipend for teaching lab classes. A freshman once asked me if I enjoyed teaching labs (he asked during the cleanup of a nasty chemical spill by another student, the smartass). I replied that every time I walked in the lab door I was about $100 better off, so yes, I enjoyed labs. After that I was known as "The Hundred Dollar Man" by that class. Sometimes I miss that sort of thing.

AllenS said...

Make sure that you stay busy after retirement. The best of times are ahead. Glad!

stevo said...

I bet you've got a lot of grateful students from over the years. (if your classes were as consistently interesting as your blog)

Otto said...

One good thing - no more required reading of the NYT by the Law Dean.
Seriously ,despite all my kvetching, wishing you the best.

MadisonMan said...

What a change for you! Enjoy the transition and the opening up of possibilities!

Michael K said...

" I didn't find one at Boalt Hall."

What do you think about the Bar failure rate for Boalt.?

California Snow said...

"Altexit" I love it. Congratulations.

Ann Althouse said...

"The flip side of our last day of school chant: "No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!""

School's out forever.

JMS said...

LRao said: "Thank you for the interesting reading I get to do every day. It's a destination for me...certainly not required or forced."

And for me, too! Yours is the first site I visit every morning after checking email.

Thank you, congratulations and best wishes for a retirement where you get to do whatever you want (almost) every day. I plan to retire from teaching in May.

Marylou said...

Congratulations! I hope you have an enjoyable retirement!!

Whirred Whacks said...



You are retiring on the one-month anniversary of Trump's election to the Presidency!

Easy to remember.

David said...

Commanche Voter said "If a student is lucky, some teacher, somewhere along the line, will have taught (or shown) him or her how to think critically. Those teachers are rare; you take them where you find them. I didn't find one at Boalt Hall."

I hope your experience is not typical. In Olden Times (1967-70) when I was at Virginia Law School, we had nothing but professors who demanded critical thought. Hardy Hillary, John McCoid, Charlie Whitebread, Ernie Folk, Nino Scalia, Carl McFarland, Cal Woodward, Richard Bonnie and more. With one exception, they were all white men. They were also decent and thoughtful and as teachers ranged from good to outstanding.

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Altexit--that's funny!

Owen said...

Congratulations, Professor. Your students have been lucky to work with you and I bet many of them know it, and as they go on, more will know it. You have made a difference in many lives.

And not just lives in a classroom. We are fortunate to have you blogging. Thanks; and may it long continue.

Floreat Althouse Blog!

Bay Area Guy said...

Congrats, Althouse, for a job well done!

320Busdriver said...

Congratulations and best wishes on your new adventure!

MathMom said...

Happy retirement! You seem like a person who will not languish without a job. Best wishes.

ken in tx said...

Best wishes. I'll be on the look out for you around Austin from time to time.

Bruce Hayden said...

Congrats on a job I expect you did very well.

Law school is voluntary, as is teaching. Every day you and the students have a choice. You, and they, will have no more freedom tomorrow than today.

Ann: Your students are not forced to listen to you or to read what you assign. They can skip class or show up unprepared. They (or their parents, or the taxpayers) are paying for the privilege of your tutelage. Sometimes students forget this.


One of the things that I liked about law school was that it wasn't mandatory. That if you wanted to ditch class, fine. Classes for me were two hours, and for most of them, I would slip out the side for a couple minutes about halfway through. No problem. And, then, if you could game the prof (which I quickly got decent at), you could control which cases you would do in class, which meant that after the first term, I could usually get away with briefing maybe half the cases. The trick was to make the prof sick of calling on you the first couple weeks, when you were one of the only ones volunteering. Invariably, law professors want to spread around the pain, so quickly seemed to quit calling on those of us who were enthusiastic about volunteering for their abuse in class.

Indeed, one prof was notorious for the opposite of mandatory class attendance. He taught for generations (my father liked him, and I have a friend who had him, as well as his father having had him almost 40 years earlier - my brother and I had his daughter for the same subject). He would grade classroom participation, and grade you down if you screwed up, but not if you weren't there to screw up in class. So, within a couple weeks, he would show up in class, stand there with his book open. When no one showed up after maybe 15 minutes, he would move the bookmark, and retire. It wasn't as if you couldn't get fairly accurate outlines or notes at the library for his classes, as they didn't change a lot year to year, or decade to decade (he taught Real Property, and esp. his real bleeding edge course - Future Interests, which, despite its name, involved some of the hoariest, oldest, law taught in LS). I used to tweak a friend of mine who taught computer law, which, at the time, changed a lot every year, that he was jealous, because he couldn't get away with that sort of thing.

Etienne said...

Mrs Simon was my second grade teacher. She would sometimes put me in the closet with our coats and bag lunches, as punishment.

Whenever I raised my hand to go to the bathroom she would say no. So I pee'd my pants and my bladder was so full that it dripped off the seat and made a puddle on the floor.

One day Mrs Simon wasn't there. She was replaced by Sister Alice who walked straight over to me and said that if I piss my pants she was going to command God to strike me dead. I asked where Mrs Simon was. Mrs Simon was in the hospital!

My mom told me they had her committed as she had gone crazy. I still think about Mrs Simon whenever I pee, and whenever I smell a paper sack. I never did memorize my multiplication tables. I didn't want to end-up in the closet again.

Teachers have a big impact on peoples lives.

Sebastian said...

"I look forward to never having to require anyone to read something or to force them to listen to me. It's not just about freedom for me. It's about freedom from me." A strange way to think about teaching, especially in law school. But if it is what you really think. it was definitely time to retire. Of course, I do regard the Althouse blog as required reading, so this whole freedom from me thing may not work out as you expect.

In any case: all the best.

Anne in Rockwall, TX said...

Congratulations, Ann! May fortune follow your future steps.

Amexpat said...

Congratulations and good luck with new endeavors.

Martha said...

Congratulations on a job well done.
I am sure your students benefited bigly from your tutelage as do we.

Mike Sylwester said...

As soon as you retire, you will be able to announce that you voted for Trump.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Althouse is shutting the comments again ;)

M Jordan said...

Ann, if you're like me you will never look back. I thoroughly enjoyed my 35 years in the classroom, the last two overseas at a university in the post-Soviet world, but as an English teacher when I turned in my grades for the last time I looked at my wife and said, "I will never grade another student paper again, never write another false-positive comment again, never fight to find another thesis statement again." Or at least, I said something to that effect. I have considered doing another overseas stint but then I remember that moment. Grading student papers almost killed me.

Happy retirement. It's well-earned and you'll love it.

Leslie Graves said...

Congratulations!!

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Congratulations, Professor.

David said...

"How was work today, honey?"

Lauderdale Vet said...

Congratulations, and best wishes!

Lyle said...

Freedom from you... haha. Congratulations to all!

PatHMV said...

Love the Altexit tag. Best of wishes to you in the future!

PatHMV said...

We're not going to read a newspaper article about you making a visit to Trump Tower, followed by the announcement of an appointment, are we? ;-)

Francisco D said...

Congratulations, Ann!

Best of luck in your future endeavors.

richard mcenroe said...

Congratulations on your reentry into the real world.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Congratulations.

I also felt the same when retiring from my financial planning/investment business. I am never going to have to sit and try to explain the dynamics behind why bonds change value. Never having to try to tell people exactly what a mutual fund is or how it is different from an exchange traded fund. Never have to explain basic economic theory to Elementary school teachers sitting in front of me with their deer in the headlights look. Also not ever having to bear the burden of feeling responsible for the lives and financial well being of people who refuse to take advice and then blame me for not taking the advice..

The freedom of retirement is wonderful. Enjoy!

Barry Dauphin said...

Congratulations!

Now all your male students should wear shorts today.

Instugator said...

Congrats Ann!

Lawcruiter said...

Congratulations to the best law school professor I never had!

traditionalguy said...

Seriously, I bet you cannot quit teaching students in need of learning any more than you can quit thinking. Just take a sabbatical. We await your next endeavor.

Dude1394 said...

"It's about freedom from me. "

Oh I expect that is not true at all. Congrats!

DanTheMan said...

>> Make sure that you stay busy after retirement.

My retired friends all tell me that they are busier in retirement than when they were working!

Congratulations, Professor Althouse. Now you can devote yourself full time to grammar inquisitions. :)


pdug said...

You, not a law professor?

Heartless Aztec said...

My last class taught was a wonderful thing. I thought it would be bittersweet. T'wasn't.

Etienne said...

The family across the street from us, when I was a kid, were teachers. The father was at Portland State, and the mother was at Parkrose Elementary.

They had two TV sets. One in the living room and one in the kids bedroom. They always invited us over and we watched Walt Disney in color, along with popcorn. It was a blessing, as our black and white TV bit the dust.

My mom and the neighbor lady next door would join them in a six-pack of beer in the living room. One day they called us out and we saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. We weren't impressed, and went back to watch "The Three Lives of Thomasina".

I was sad to read of the mothers obituary last September, as she had passed away at age 87. I credit Olympia beer with her longevity. She loved her beer. They always bought beer by the case in the "stubby" bottles. My memory is of them always sucking on a bottle.

Laslo Spatula said...

Socially Awkward Guy Who Makes No Eye Contact says:

I had a crush on one of my teachers in high school. She was beautiful, and always seemed to be smiling, even when she was looking at me: no one smiles at me. When she was at the chalkboard I would stare at her legs in her black heels and black pencil skirts, and admire the mystery of her ass. She caught me looking sometimes, but she still smiled…

One day she asked me to stay after school, and I spent the rest of the school day wondering what it would be about. Surely she wasn't going to confess her attraction to me, was she? I've heard about those things happening, but those things never ever happen to me. Except for my math teacher Mr. Sutter, and I don't like to talk about THAT afternoon…

So I show up at her classroom at the end of the day, sweating from nervousness and anticipation. She says she notices how awkward I can be with other students and not to worry, there is a whole other world after high school. I've since learned the Whole Other World pretty much sucks just like High School, but her words made me feel better at the time…

Then she gave me a pamphlet for a Depression and Suicide Hotline. Seriously. Like she must have thought that my life sucked so bad that I MUST want to die? I told her I was not suicidal: she listened, nodded, and then said it is common that many young men questioning their sexuality find themselves feeling there is no reason to go on…

Great. Now she thinks I'm a suicidal guy who is secretly gay. But it gets worse. Of course it does: it's, things always get worse. She asks me if I had pets, and I told her about my rat. She then asked if I ever felt the compulsion to harm animals. I've read about serial killers that started by harming animals, so I realize why she is asking the question: she thinks I'm a secretly gay suicidal guy with possible serial murders in his future…

The thing is: she is a Teacher. She knows a lot of things. Maybe I AM secretly Gay. Maybe I WILL abduct strangers in a van and strangle them out in the woods. See? I'm already thinking about a van and strangling: where did those thoughts come from, unless they had been there all along?

Still, I don't feel like killing myself; I just want to pee on girls. I told my teacher I was fine, and then summoned up the courage to ask her if she ever had sex with her students: I figured we now had that kind of open honesty between us and all. Instead she looked abhorred at the thought, but I don't know if she was abhorred in general or just abhorred at the thought of having sex with me in particular. Anyway, the thought made me come in my pants, and then I went home…

I still remember that teacher fondly; even if she was wrong, it seemed like she actually cared. That doesn't happen much to me. Then again, maybe she wasn't wrong, and I am just in denial. If I were to strangle someone they'd have to have a thin neck, though: my hands are not very strong...

Like no one else thinks these things.

I hope the Girl with the Blue Hair is working at McDonalds today.



I am Laslo.

Marc in Eugene said...

Best wishes for the post-academic years, Professor; many thanks for the opus imperfectum that is your blog.

PatHMV, I had thought that myself. Which position shall Mr Trump appoint AA to?

Jason said...

"Good bye, you little shits."

:-D

BarrySanders20 said...

"I look forward to never having to require anyone to read something or to force them to listen to me. It's not just about freedom for me. It's about freedom from me."

Maybe this is why you are drawn to religion and the law. Same philosophy.

Anonymous said...

Fare thee well professor, you and I are the same age.

I coach students who are special in so many ways they seek me out, it's almost like building another family, and I'm fortunate to have already built many around the world. Wonderful tools we have nowadays so we can have a group family night across two and sometimes three continents.

I had an aneurysm in my right parietal lobe which has me one finger typing. But for capitalism I'd be dead. As would have been the Castro brothers long ago. Makes me want to go kick the $h!t out of those who would deny my children and everyone else's the same miracles (if I could still kick :-). Yes, ACA and even Medicare I'm talking about you. How many children go to bed crying because of this idiocy? the elites who know they know best, and selfishly think playing mother and god increases their odds of reelection. I'm keeping a seat next to mine very warm for them downstairs because the Doctors say the clock is running, so prioritize. Which is almost silly because we could all get hit by a bus tomorrow.

Professor, you and your commenters have brought me pleasure, hope and raised my blood pressure all at the same time, so thank you again.

Robert said...

Lucien said... "Ann: Your students are not forced to listen to you or to read what you assign. They can skip class or show up unprepared."

Some people might not realize you can't get away with cutting too many classes at law school. They take attendance, and seating charts are common. At least at every law school I know of. And they expect you to be prepared.

Mick said...

Good, maybe now those kids might learn something. Why don't you do a final lesson on how you failed them and the American people (who would have taken note of this influential blog) by voting for, and promoting, an illegal Usurper for POTUS, and not educating them as to the natural born Citizen requirement (you are supposedly a "Con Law Prof" right?), and why it is important. Hussein Obama has since shown exactly WHY a natural born Citizen is required, and that he no real allegiance or love of this country. POTUS' are not "citizens of the world."

Start with Federalist 68, and then go into Minor v. Happersett and Wong Kim Ark.

"Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one querter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union?" FEDERALIST 68

"IMPROPER ASCENDANT". "ASCENDANT" means both "immediate ancestor (parent)", and also "influence" (See Samuel Johnson's Dictionary). It was a word chosen carefully by Hamilton, reflecting the law of nations definition of natural born Citizen as one born in the US to US citizen parents. Thus "IMPROPER ASCENDANT" means the improper influence of a foreign parent, especially in light of the context of Federalist 68, that the reason for the requirement is "prevention of foreign influence." And if that is the purpose, then how can one born of a foreign parent, or in a foreign country be eligible? How can a "creature of their own" be one born of a foreigner?

"The Constitution does not, in words, say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common-law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners". Minor v. Happersett, 88 US 162, 167 (1875); and also, Wong Kim Ark, 169 US 649, 680 (1898)

The Supreme Court ruling directly on the citizenship of Virginia Minor. She claimed that women were less than citizens if they were not allowed to vote, as it violated equal protection of the 14 Amendment-- The Supreme Court ruled that she was indeed a citizen, because she was a natural born Citizen, born of US Citizen parents in the US, and natural born Citizens had always been citizens, but even for natural born Citizens there was no "right to vote", as that franchise is given by the states. The determination that Minor was a natural born Citizen was precedent, because it was a judicial determination in support of the holding (that US Citizenship implied no "right to vote"). That precedent was repeated in Wong Kim Ark 14 years later on page 680, and never disagreed with. It is still good law today, never having been overruled (See Mcpherson v. Blacker, and Bush v. Gore)

You were ensconced in the Ivory Tower of Academia, too afraid of the dreaded "Birther" label to stand for the Constitution and principle. You could have made history, but alas... you voted for the Usurper and invited the destroyer of US sovereignty into the White House--- a man who still to this day has clouded origins and associations.

Major Fail.

Paddy O said...

Congrats!

Did you enjoy teaching?

Occasionally, people ask me that and I have hard time answering. It's not something I'd choose to do with my time, but apparently I'm good at it, and there are times in which it brings out the best in me. It's good for me, and that's something. Gets me in contact with a wider variety of people than I'd encounter otherwise.

What's your favorite memory as a professor?

Happy first day of a new season!

Darcy said...

Brava, Althousia! Best wishes.

Unknown said...

Congratulations.

William said...

Congratulations and good luck for the future. You have wisdom and humor. It's your students who will suffer the loss. They got the better of the bargain........I always thought that "golden years" was some kind of euphemism for the hideous and frightening deficits of aging. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that old age has been the most pleasant and enjoyable time of my life. They truly are golden years.

Unknown said...

Ann, I love your blog and follow it every day, although I don't think I have ever commented. As a fellow Wisconsinite, I enjoy your postings on Wisconsin-related issues. As a fellow retiree (I am making my last trek to the office on Jan. 6), I wish you all the best in retirement.

Unknown said...

Oops, forgot! As a copyeditor, I appreciate your love of the language. While I tend to look at the sentence construction and punctuation, you look closely at the words--and I have benefited! So thank you.

Crimso said...

Thank you. (Not sarcastic)

khesanh0802 said...

@Ann Please don't retire from blogging too. My day would be much poorer without the Althouse blog!

paulgo said...

Congratulations and best wishes. I hope the final class goes swimmingly!

Bob R said...

Congratulations! Enjoy.

madAsHell said...

It was a blessing, as our black and white TV bit the dust.

I was well into my 20's before I learned that "The Wizard of Oz" started in B&W, and then jumped to color. The folks didn't have a color TV until I left the house.

One chapter ends, and another one begins.
I hope to hear of your travels, and see photos from far-a-way places.
I recommend a larger car.....cuz there's no place to hide when you fart in the Audi TT.

FullMoon said...

coupe said... [hush]​[hide comment]

Mrs Simon was my second grade teacher. She would sometimes put me in the closet with our coats and bag lunches, as punishment.

They called it "the cloakroom" at Paul Revere Elementary. One kid had Twinkies in his Roy Rogers lunch box. You probably knew him. The one who got new shoes before the old soles came loose started flappin' and had to be taped up. The one with an electric train and a new bike and a TV in his house. Never got a spanking at home. Anyway, you were probably too nice to eat another kids dessert. Not me, I looked forward to it.

And, happy for the Professor, if that is what she really wants. I do not think she will suffer from boredom , or feeling of lack of accomplishment.

Etienne said...

FullMoon said...They called it "the cloakroom" at Paul Revere Elementary.

Aha! That's the word.

Susan said...

Congratulations!

May you garner much acclaim as your students go onto become a credit to your teaching prowess.
No doubt they all look back fondly upon having survived the required readings of "Good Old Althouse".

Bay Area Guy said...

AA: I look forward to never having to require anyone to read something or to force them to listen to me. It's not just about freedom for me. It's about freedom from me.

William Wallace via Mel Gibson responds: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!

Tank said...

Congrats and ...

Your (not-really) students' loss for sure. I'm pretty sure you were a great Prof.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Althouse has taught her last class, but has she graded her last exam! Until then, and perhaps a little longer, she's still the retiree-elect.

Titus said...

Congrats! Now what?

I have 20 more fucking years of work....sigh

Freeman Hunt said...

Congratulations on your retirement! I know of no one better equipped for it.

Chaswjd said...

I must say, I don't think I ever thought while sitting in the two classes to took from you that I was forced to listen to you. I certainly thought that you were one of the better professors I had at Wisconsin. I found your federal jurisdiction class very interesting. (I hope the then-projected book was eventually published.) Your evidence class, although unconventional, gave me a foundation that I have used throughout my career.

When I read your post, I did some quick math and realized how much time had passed (a quarter century). I am sure your retirement is well deserved.

Congratulations.

Charles W. Kramer

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Is anybody going to ask for a recount?

Seeing Red said...

Congratulations!

A well-deserved rest.

UW is starting to get scewy.

Seeing Red said...

Screwy.

FullMoon said...

Titus said... [hush]​[hide comment]

Congrats! Now what?

I have 20 more fucking years of work....sigh


That is your choice.
Decades ago, a friend retired at 65, died a year later.
Changed my attitude about accumulating wealth to enjoy life "after retirement".
Took on less work, earned less money and spent more time foolin' around.

SayAahh said...

As long as we enjoy freewill, retirement is as unique as our fingerprint.
I wish you many interesting, stimulating and satisfying years in retirement.

YoungHegelian said...

Now that Prof. Althouse has the time, I look forward to hearing her frequent calls in to the Rush Limbaugh Show to help set El Rushbo straight.

Seriously, when the word gets out she's retired, I wouldn't be surprised if some media company comes knocking at the door seeking that she share her much-vaunted wisdom with the plebes. It may have already happened....

In any case, congratulations!

Lucid said...

Congratulations!

Please keep blogging!

gilbar said...

Congrads! So much for my desire to take law classes.

azbadger said...

Fed jur as a 2L ('85-86) and a Fed Jur seminar as a 3L. Great teacher. Enjoy retirement.

madAsHell said...

In light of the circumstances........remember to use the Althouse Amazon portal.

I wonder if Rush Limbaugh comments here. I think it's safe to say it ain't Lazlo, but then again.....

RAH said...

Congratulations I hope you find retirement rewarding and keep up the blog You have a unique viewpoint

Don said...

Congratulations. The longer you wait to retire the less you get.

Krumhorn said...

You have undoubtely. been a ferociously intimidating law prof, but I'm sure your classes have been the most intellectually elevating in the school. Congratulations! You have such diverse and valuable interests, your days will be full and rich.

- Krumhorn

Rusty said...

Good on you,girl.
Enjoy.

Unknown said...

Professor,

Can you reconsider? Students today need a sane, objective voice like yours. I don't agree with all of your opinions but I respect you without reservation. Who will replace you?

I live in Minnesota and see the glory and insanity that is Mad-town. They need you still. Hopefully, your voice will remain strong.

Walter S. said...

Congratulations, so far! But academics keep getting getting sucked back in. Generations of future law students are just waiting for your relapse.

Pettifogger said...

Congratulations. I was worried about retirement, and people still ask me about it. The secret, if that's what is, is to stay busy. I'm loving it.

Unknown said...

Congratulations, Professor! As one of your former students (class of 2006), I want to thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and fairness. I remember your Religion and the Constitution class fondly, and I know that you inspired me to think deeply and critically about a topic that was not a hot-button political topic at the time, but has become much more important over the last decade. Thank you and enjoy your retirement.

Unknown said...

I have enjoyed this blog and I'm sure Althouse's students have grown intellectually while in her charge. But I don't think history is going to be too kind to the baby boomer generation. We fought a great war only to hand the country over to a generation that never knew any material wants, and as such has utterly frittered away America's moral standing.

BJK said...

ConLaw and CivPro II student (Class of 2003)...meaning I chose to have you telling me what to read, and having to listen to your lectures, even after having it assigned to me the first time.

(Conversely, I did choose to graduate over a decade ago, so that willingness does have its limits.)


Enjoy retirement...and don't stop blogging.

Unknown said...

Please come to Austin for the Springtime
I'm stayin' here at home and your son's got lots of room
You can sell your photos at the Pecan Street Festival
By a bar where hope to be frequenting soon

David Baker said...

"It's not just about freedom for me. It's about freedom from me."

Still, are there any students you'll keep an eye on? Maybe another Louis Brandeis, Felix Frankfurter, or Antonin Scalia?

MayBee said...

Congratulations, Althouse. I am really happy that you are so happy.

Paul McKaskle said...

I closed my Civil Procedure casebook eight and a half years ago and picked up the Johnny Walker Blue Label Scotch the class had given me and walked out. I can't say I have any regrets. I have more time to read blogs and I've done lots of travel. (My wife says I spend too much time reading blogs.)

Congratulations, I think you're likely to enjoy retirement.

Jon Ericson said...

There's one thing I've always wanted to do before I quit: RETIRE.
-- Groucho Marx

Take it easy.
Congratulations on your career.
Please keep blogging.
My first blog of the day!

FWBuff said...

Congratulations, Professor. There are a lot of former students out there who are better lawyers and judges and citizens because of you.

Pugsley the Pug said...

Congratulations, Ann, on your retirement. Your blog is the only one that I follow and I sincerely hope you don't retire from that side gig. To quote an old Vulcan proverb, "Live long and prosper.".

nina said...

Congratulations! As you know, the celebrations are yet to come!

JML said...

Congrats!

Biff said...

May the years ahead be filled with joy and adventure. Congratulations!

richardsson said...

I took early retirement and I don't regret it at all. Although I enjoyed teaching, I don't miss it. I didn't enjoy dealing with the boobs in administration but I was fairly successful at keeping them out of my hair. I certainly don't miss departmental politics, but then I stopped going to meetings when I didn't feel welcome there anymore and nobody said anything.

Congratulations and good luck. You'll love being retired.

Bricap said...

Congratulations, Professor. I enjoy your blog, it often challenges how I think, whether or not I agree. Enjoy the new journey that lies ahead.

By the way, and forgive me if you knew this already, but there is another duo with your names

Warren Fahy said...

Congratulations!

Janette Kok said...

Congrats.

ndspinelli said...

Travel. Maybe try driving to Colorado.

Danno said...

Keep that cruel neutrality coming at us.

DRE said...

Congratulations!
Hope the next phase is even better. They were fortunate to have you.

Scott said...

Congratulations Professor. Your retirement is a loss for UW, but you will love your new freedom. Enjoy....

dande said...

Ann, congratulations on a successful career and your decision to retire. As someone who retired 15 years ago let me assure you that the true adventure is ahead of you. If you are half as blessed as I have been the next phase of your life will be filled with amazing things and deep satisfaction. My very best wishes to you.

Ann Althouse said...

Thanks for all the kind words.

Don't worry about the blog ending. The blog was the priority. I want the blog to get better! I want to see where the blog goes without ties to an institution.

BlueHen said...

Allow me to add my congratulations, and my thanks for the sanity your blog has brought to my life. BTW, we share the same birthday, the same profession and I, too, am a former Delawarean.