Really. I need to write a 5 question quiz for Tuesday's class and I can't quite do it. Every time I try I either can't think of any questions or feel like I've made them too hard/too easy. At the moment, just one class into my first semester of teaching, I feel that way towards just about everything class-related. I'm fairly certain that I'm just suffering new teacher pains and this will all get easier with every class or quiz. Let's hope........
It has been a bit of a whirlwind 3 weeks. The course I'm teaching is only in its second semester at the tech and last spring only 10 students took the course. A full time instructor took on the burden of designing the course at the last minute and did his best with the time he was given. Until 2 months ago, it seemed like there would only be a need for 1 section of the course and then there was a sudden increase in interest and they had to hire a second instructor. Until 3 weeks ago it seemed like that would work out - and then there was a need for a third instructor - that's me and that's why I got hired a mere 20 days before the start of the semester.
This wasn't as difficult to deal with as you might imagine. The basic idea is that even though there are 3 sections each with a different instructor we will work together and make the General Biology course as a whole as cohesive as possible. The three of us met and decided what chapters to cover, what labs to do, that we will give daily quizzes and that there will be 6 exams, all covering the same chapters and all given within a day of the other sections. (I will mention here that this meeting took place the day before the class started) It wasn't as if suddenly I had 3 weeks to totally build up a course that was all mine. Someday I would like that chance, but I have to admit that for my first adventure into teaching a course I wasn't about to complain about being handed a syllabus and being told to use it word for word.
At the moment I can tell you honestly that I'm enjoying the experience. But.....I've only taught one class. Half of that was devoted to the syllabus. The kids (and some of them not kids) seemed fine and more than I expected participated. I'm sure the rapport will change and things will become more interesting/difficult/eye-opening when I start giving quizzes and test and suddenly grades become involved.
One very nice aspect to my new job is the new group of people I've met and who are now my co-workers. The first two people I met were the department secretary (like most secretaries, she knows the answers to every single question/problem you could possibly have and she loves helping people out) and the associate dean. The AD is very friendly, laid-back and super accessible. The full time instructor in charge of my course is a very smart, energetic ex-chiropractor who gets so excited about the course and the students that it's contagious. He has been so helpful to me and patient with all of my questions and concerns. In fact, my favorite moment of this experience so far took place while I was delivering my first lecture on Thursday. I happened to glance out towards the hallway and there he was - standing with a big grin of his face, jumping up and down and giving me the thumbs up. And all the faculty are like that. Every single person I've been has been friendly, excited and supportive. It seems like a fantastic environment and I'm excited to be a part of it.
I've also learned a lot more about working in an academic setting. Because it's a technical college, most of us were hired because we knew our fields but not necessarily how to teach. In fact, they came right out and told us at an orientation in-service (so many in-services to go to.....) that they assume we can't teach. For that reason we're required to maintain certification by attending 2-credit courses here and there along the way where we will learn how to become more effective educators. And we'll get the paperwork to prove it. Not a bad deal. Interestingly, by joining the technical college staff I automatically joined a union - something which I had never been a part of before. My involvement can range from paying my dues (probably what will happen) to being an active member (probably not - lest I hear more shouting from my husband of "You can't be in a union! I can't be married to a union member! There will be no unions in this house! I'm management, you can't be union!)
I have absorbed - or not - a ton of information over the past few weeks. The learning curve is steep at the moment, but that's good. And this whole thing is keeping me busy. (Speaking of busy - I am now officially going to be an instructor for the 9th/10th grade confirmation class at my church as well - a new endeavor which starts in about 2 weeks - but more on that in a separate post and when I know more about it myself) And now I really do have to write that quiz.........
yay!
ReplyDelete