Gearing Up to Lerne and Teche (Gladly)

I spent this week in all-day training or orientation sessions – for graduates in Humanities, for TA’s ditto, and a two-day teaching seminar with sessions on various topics from lesson planning to sexual harassment policies. I was grateful that the Dean of Students led off with a “snapshot” of the “Millennial” students we’ll be teaching – characteristics of their age group – because unlike my fellow TA’s, I’m a full generation and more away from these kids, so anything that helps me understand and relate to them is much appreciated.

. . . and last night my two online courses appeared on the web, and I have until Sunday evening to get the content finalized and loaded. I don’t decide the films, or the primary reading material; but I do have to come up with specific assignments, topics for discussion, my particular policies and guidelines, and enough activities and involvement for a web course, and have all this organized and up there for the start of semester on Monday. I have 90 students enrolled already. I am never supposed to meet with them face-to-face or even take phone calls from them. Should be interesting!

You know how you make definitive statements about a situation you’re not in yet, and then end up feeling like a fool? As in, before you have kids: “My kids would never . . .” and “I would always . . .” Well, before starting this program, I announced far and wide that I wouldn’t teach during it; I’d just “power my way through.” Well, it doesn’t work that way. There’s no law that says you have to teach, but you don’t graduate well-positioned to get hired if you don’t. You also miss out on a significant number of other benefits. I am really grateful to have been given the online courses (which I requested) because it’s a major plus when applying for a position. But I have to admit that until the site’s up and going, hopefully smoothly, I have some apprehension about the process. So I’m going into cyberspace for the next 72 hours to hammer and saw, and will report back with how it went.

As for courses I’m taking (and I have to take three to be eligible to teach), they are the independent study in Victorian Ghost Stories, Greek and Roman Humanities, and the French reading exam course. It will be another busy semester, but it's sinking in that Hellaciously Busy is par for the Piled High and Deep course. And since Haley and Andrew and Bailey are coming to visit in 3 weeks, and Pat soon as well, I don’t feel as homesick as I did even a short time ago.