Three weeks down! I made it three whole weeks without crumbling... yet.
In all seriousness though, I'm kinda starting to get the hang of this teaching thing. Still a couple bumps, as should be expected. I made my first homework assignment waaaaayyyy too long, and I didn't realize it until day before it was due when I was making the solution key. I felt really bad because I'm not trying to be that a-hole teacher that bogs everyone down with homework. I did give them a week to do it, which was plenty long, but it is college after all and everyone probably did it the night before. I apologized when I collected it and promised the rest wouldn't be as long. Then I cracked a great joke that I would give them Monday (which was Labor Day) off to make up for it and got a better-than-expected reception. I then proceeded to totally botch a workbook example and went 100 - 0 real quick.
In all seriousness though, I'm kinda starting to get the hang of this teaching thing. Still a couple bumps, as should be expected. I made my first homework assignment waaaaayyyy too long, and I didn't realize it until day before it was due when I was making the solution key. I felt really bad because I'm not trying to be that a-hole teacher that bogs everyone down with homework. I did give them a week to do it, which was plenty long, but it is college after all and everyone probably did it the night before. I apologized when I collected it and promised the rest wouldn't be as long. Then I cracked a great joke that I would give them Monday (which was Labor Day) off to make up for it and got a better-than-expected reception. I then proceeded to totally botch a workbook example and went 100 - 0 real quick.
Other than that, I'm getting a feel for everything which is promising. My longest class time has been 40 minutes, with a class length of 50 minutes. I just can't quite figure out a way to stretch out the entire class. Also, the class is still really quiet and they aren't having any of my questions. I don't want to sit up there and talk at them the whole class, but they refuse to be engaging with me. I guess that will come in time.
The first exam is next week, which will really be the true test of my teaching abilities. The course advisor who oversees everything makes the test, so I have to gear them up for a test that I don't even write, let alone see until an hour before the exam.
Until then...
The first exam is next week, which will really be the true test of my teaching abilities. The course advisor who oversees everything makes the test, so I have to gear them up for a test that I don't even write, let alone see until an hour before the exam.
Until then...
By: Professor Gunshow