In about 15 minutes, I meet with one of my classes for the first time this semester. I have butterflies, nerves, you name it.
It's exciting. And terrifying.
I bet if I put on the heart monitor I used to entertain myself while running or biking, I'd be pretty high on the heart rate, at least for the first 10 minutes.
I worry about silly stuff before class: what if they hate me. What if they syllabus doesn't make sense. What if it's a Calculus class? (Okay, not really that worry any more.)
If I go early, I see that the students, especially first years, are worried, too. What if the professor is mean, or hard to understand, or crazed? They have a lot more to worry about from me, I'm afraid, than I do from them.
And after ten minutes, I'll calm down. Maybe there will be a familiar face, someone who smiles or nods in a way that says "this sounds interesting!"
And now, I'm off. One of these days, I really should wear a heart monitor to class, just to see how it looks at the end of the hour.
Wish me good class karma!
Good class karma!
ReplyDeleteGood Karma! I just finished teaching my first 2 of the semester...I always talk too fast and run short!
ReplyDeleteGood class karma!
ReplyDeleteBefore my first class this semester, I was so nervous I couldn't eat lunch. And that's *very* nervous for me. Colleagues would say, but you're an old hand, and I would say, it's still the first day.