Shifting Gears
How odd that just as September arrives here in Big City Like No Other, the weather has shifted most dramatically into fall mode: a chill in the air in the morning, a beautiful breeze accompanying me on my walk from the bus stop in the evening. As smitten as I am with my air conditioners (having just moved from a place where air conditioning was not a possibility), it's also nice to go to sleep with the windows open for a change.
In tune with the new briskness in the weather, with all the associations of back-to-school that it brings, the new semester has started, and along with it, my part-time teaching gig. I taught my first class of the season last night, and guess what, I had fun! I forget, during the lazy, sun-dazed months of summer how much I love being in front of the classroom, exchanging insights, ideas, impressions, with a new group of students.
In tune with the new briskness in the weather, with all the associations of back-to-school that it brings, the new semester has started, and along with it, my part-time teaching gig. I taught my first class of the season last night, and guess what, I had fun! I forget, during the lazy, sun-dazed months of summer how much I love being in front of the classroom, exchanging insights, ideas, impressions, with a new group of students.
posted by Sarah Sometimes at 9:02 PM
7 Comments:
I was back in the classroom today -- after being on sabbatical all last spring -- and I have to admit that I too had fun. I'd forgotten how much I love teaching.
I felt the briskness of the weather rather too keenly (my latest post is a testament to that -- and the formal language a side effect of re-reading Little Women as my end of summer "guilty pleasure" -- since when should reading be guilty? Only to moms of little ones. Sigh).
In any case, I think that perhaps I'd like teaching, only the experiences I had as a grad student instructor were not really that great :-(. Do you think that teaching after having the PhD would make any difference? I wish I had the opportunity to know, but... I'm not really looking for work. Although I said I would in my "new year's resolution" (sigh again). My apologies for the moodiness!
Sound like a fun time. As nice as summer is, I always enjoyt the kick in the pants fall gives me to get out of the summer horse latitude doldrums and into gear.
Enjoy your students and the coming year!
jo(e): glad it was fun for you to get back to it!
lilian: sorry you're having such a hard time (I went over and read your post). I agree there is something a little melancholy about the change in the weather--it's an odd thing, the shorter days and beginning of the school year are energizing in the way clowncar says in his comment, but also there is that feeling of how transitory everything is--the days are so beautiful and you want to bottle it but you can't. Anyway, I also wanted to say that I do find it much different teaching after the PhD than before, and better. Something about having more confidence, perhaps. We can chat more by e-mail, perhaps.
Clowncar: Exactly, and thanks, and you, too.
So, when do you play volleyball again? I will be in NYC next Wed., Thur. and Fri.
T.
You know, back when I taught, the first day of school felt more like the beginning of a new year than when the calendar changed at the end of December.
Terry--yes, I know what you mean. thanks for the comment.
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