3 hours to go till my first class as instructor...

[Izulde]

...And I'm now starting to panic.

I've been only a little nervous before this, but I woke up about 10 minutes ago and it's like "Gah! What did I get myself in to?!"

I do like my schedule, though... the two classes I teach are MWF and the two classes I take are TR, so it works out extremely well in that regard.

[MJ4H]

Nice! Good luck, man! Don't sweat it. It will be fun.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Start the class by mentioning lots of pop quizzes. That should really loosen them up.

[MikeVic]

Good luck. Are these 1st-year classes?

[miked]

After teaching freshman for a few, I'm teaching grad students this fall. Freshman=easy, grad students=teh sux.

[Izulde]

Thanks guys. And yes, they're both sections of Composition I, which are overwhelmingly first-semester freshmen.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by miked

After teaching freshman for a few, I'm teaching grad students this fall. Freshman=easy, grad students=teh sux.

Why would you say grad students are teh sux? I'm curious at that.

[Logan]

I hear showing pictures of yourself posing on a bed makes for a great icebreaker.

[JPhillips]

Be confident in what you're doing, but if you make a mistake don't be afraid to admit it. Also, if things don't go according to plan don't hesitate to change up the syllabus as you're going. Remember it's a lot easier than mining coal.

[Ajaxab]

Get to know names as quickly as possible. Even if you have to do some lame, ice-breaker games, it's amazing how much better classes go if you know the names of your students and they know one another's names.

[MizzouRah]

For some reason this thread reminded me of that scene in The Office when Ryan brings Michael to his business class.

[KWhit]

And be sure to start the class with a Robin Williams style "Goooooood Morning Composition One!!!!"

[Kodos]

Try to work in something about "Excrement! That's what I think of Mr. J. Evans Pritchard! We're not laying pipe! We're talking about poetry." Then have them rip out some pages from their textbooks.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by miked

After teaching freshman for a few, I'm teaching grad students this fall. Freshman=easy, grad students=teh sux.

Yep, don't get this sentiment at all. Freshman classes blow... grad classes are easy, you just go up there and muse for a while on something you actually use in your research all the time?

[MJ4H]

Preparation kills anxiety.

(note that's not Preparation H. Just plain old preparation)

When I have something coming up that makes me anxious like that, I really prepare so hard for it that even if I freeze up, I will be on auto-pilot about what to do. Get comfortable in your environment, get into the classroom and stand where you are going to be when you teach. That sort of thing. Good advice about not being afraid to admit a mistake, too. Act like you know what you are doing even if you don't, too. That one goes a long way.

[King of New York]

You are doomed

Graduate students are often very bright, but they can be very, very high maintenance, even though they are supposed to be able to work semi-independently--they can be either the best or the worst students to work with.

I like teaching freshmen. They tend to be enthusiastic, if nervous. But too much introductory-level teaching can dull the mind.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by King of New York

You are doomed

Graduate students are often very bright, but they can be very, very high maintenance, even though they are supposed to be able to work semi-independently--they can be either the best or the worst students to work with.

I like teaching freshmen. They tend to be enthusiastic, if nervous. But too much introductory-level teaching can dull the mind.

Huh... what field are you in? For research what you say sounds right but in the classroom my experience was always the grad classes were easy because grades don't matter at that point. We'd just go, listen to the professor, and show up for the tests. No questions, no hassles.

[miked]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Yep, don't get this sentiment at all. Freshman classes blow... grad classes are easy, you just go up there and muse for a while on something you actually use in your research all the time?

Depends what classes you teach. Graduate students tend to think they know more and tend to blow off construcive dialogue more. I'm not teaching on what my research is, I teach a problem based learning approach and the students are much less adaptable. Freshman adjust much more easily and are more willing to accept their shortcoming in learning areas.

[King of New York]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Huh... what field are you in? For research what you say sounds right but in the classroom my experience was always the grad classes were easy because grades don't matter at that point. We'd just go, listen to the professor, and show up for the tests. No questions, no hassles.

History. The grad classes are, as you say, fairly easy as far the as actual classroom time goes. It's all the time outside the classroom, especially advising theses and dissertations, that can be painful, depending on the motivation and abilities of the individual student.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Preparation kills anxiety.

(note that's not Preparation H. Just plain old preparation)

When I have something coming up that makes me anxious like that, I really prepare so hard for it that even if I freeze up, I will be on auto-pilot about what to do. Get comfortable in your environment, get into the classroom and stand where you are going to be when you teach. That sort of thing. Good advice about not being afraid to admit a mistake, too. Act like you know what you are doing even if you don't, too. That one goes a long way.

QFT. When I was teaching regularly, I made sure to be well prepared and it always went very well. Preparation is the key to effective teaching, and remember that most likely you know more about this subject matter than all of these students. Be confident.

[FrogMan]

funny, I'm in a similar state of mind as tomorrow evening I will give my first karate class in the new school. Sure, it's "only" karate and they'll be beginners (white belt) 7 to 10 year olds, but still, it's got me getting more and more nervous as it gets closer and closer...

But you know what, I'm egtting even more nervous about my 4-6 year old initiation class that'll be on Saturday morning. I learned yesterday that there should be 15 kiddos in that class. Imagine 15 kiddos between ages 4 to 6, dear god, what have I got myself into???

Good luck Izulde!

FM

[Izulde]

Thanks again, guys.

The first day went fairly well, with a few snafus (forgetting that Labor Day is Sept 1st and so no classes, which I forgot to put in the syllabus, neither classroom having a clock so I had to keep track of the time via my cellphone, almost forgetting to mention blue books (but I remembered in time for both classes) and one or two other minor things).

I was surprised at how little students talked, though in the first class they did have a few questions. In the second one, no questions. But my guess is they'll become more talkative as the semester wears on.

On the pleasant end of surprises, about six or seven students came up after my first class to introduce themselves to me, which I thought was really cool.

[MikeVic]

Were any of them hot students?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Were any of them hot students?

Yes. And much to my chagrin, the first student that introduced themselves to me after class was one and without thinking about it, I gave the automatic response of my first name as I usually do with people, period after having established the Mr. Lastname precedent previously in the course.

It was a huge doh! moment and I compensated for it by saying Mr. Lastname to the second student, then realized oh wait, I already introduced myself as Mr. Lastname, so why am I doing it again?

So yeah, it was definitely a facepalm moment.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Yes. And much to my chagrin, the first student that introduced themselves to me after class was one and without thinking about it, I gave the automatic response of my first name as I usually do with people, period after having established the Mr. Lastname precedent previously in the course.

It was a huge doh! moment and I compensated for it by saying Mr. Lastname to the second student, then realized oh wait, I already introduced myself as Mr. Lastname, so why am I doing it again?

So yeah, it was definitely a facepalm moment.

Dude, you're a Master's student. Seriously, using your last name????

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Dude, you're a Master's student. Seriously, using your last name????

In my own personal opinion, it's better to err on the side of formality with that sort of thing, at least starting out. I can always switch to something less formal, but if I started off less formal and tried to go more formal, it just wouldn't work.

[MJ4H]

pics of hot students please.

[Izulde]

I'm just curious, what are people's opinions of a TA using their last name as a form of address? I know RPI-Fan apparently think it makes the TA look like an ass and one other person I was discussing my first day with said the same.

I indicated some of my reasoning for preferring it above, plus I think it helps maintain the professional buffer, but I'm wondering what others of FOFC think.

[TCY Junkie]

I would almost always use last name, but if they tell you their first name introducing themselves than that would be one of the rare times to use your first name.

[SFL Cat]

Sounds like you did fine...by the end of the semester you'll be a grizzled veteran at this sort of thing.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm just curious, what are people's opinions of a TA using their last name as a form of address? I know RPI-Fan apparently think it makes the TA look like an ass and one other person I was discussing my first day with said the same.

I indicated some of my reasoning for preferring it above, plus I think it helps maintain the professional buffer, but I'm wondering what others of FOFC think.

Your reasoning is decent, but to me the "asshat-ness" of it cannot be overcome. However, I went to school at a smaller school where TA's never/rarely actually were the "professor". I'd say it comes down to whether there is a supervising professor that students will somewhat regularly contact. If there is, then you're just a regular TA and anything other than the first name is tool-ish. But if you are the judge and the jury then, as you say, the formality but be more necessary.

[Chief Rum]

I dare you to include a word problem involving twins named Sukey and Takara in your first lesson plan!

[Lathum]

I think the use of Mr... is asshatish.

I am going back to school to be a high school teacher and I plan on letting my students call me by my first name

[kingnebwsu]

Originally Posted by KWhit

And be sure to start the class with a Robin Williams style "Goooooood Morning Composition One!!!!"

This made me laugh.

But almost all of his students weren't born when this movie came out in 1987, so they wouldn't get the reference.

We're old

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I am going back to school to be a high school teacher and I plan on letting my students call me by my first name

Make sure you bring a gun, so if they insist on calling you Mr. so-and-so, you have some leverage!

The biggest dilemma we had in high school was some teachers hated being called "sir", and other hated being called "Mr. whoever". But under no circumstances did we ever dream of calling a teacher by their first name, even those that I knew. There wouldn't have been much of a smackdown if we did I don't think, it just wasn't socially acceptable is all.

[Ajaxab]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Your reasoning is decent, but to me the "asshat-ness" of it cannot be overcome. However, I went to school at a smaller school where TA's never/rarely actually were the "professor". I'd say it comes down to whether there is a supervising professor that students will somewhat regularly contact. If there is, then you're just a regular TA and anything other than the first name is tool-ish. But if you are the judge and the jury then, as you say, the formality but be more necessary.

+1 If you are in charge of everything, formality is fine. If not, first name is the way to go.

[Izulde]

Yep, I'm in charge of everything. While the department does establish requirements that include the texts and having x number of papers and exams, the weighting of each paper, exam and any other things such as exercises/workshops and/or attendance are entirely up to the TA teaching the course, as are the grading scale and the final grade for each student in the section.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm just curious, what are people's opinions of a TA using their last name as a form of address? I know RPI-Fan apparently think it makes the TA look like an ass and one other person I was discussing my first day with said the same.

I indicated some of my reasoning for preferring it above, plus I think it helps maintain the professional buffer, but I'm wondering what others of FOFC think.

Is there a generally accepted way of addressing TAs there? I'd ask around and see what others are doing and what has been done in the past and try to fit into what most students are comfortable with. Then again I've never been all that concerned with formal address.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Is there a generally accepted way of addressing TAs there? I'd ask around and see what others are doing and what has been done in the past and try to fit into what most students are comfortable with. Then again I've never been all that concerned with formal address.

When the topic came up as part of the orientation, the Composition Director said it was up to each individual TA whether to use last name or first name in the classes they taught, but his own personal opinion was that it was better to use last name if we weren't sure which we wanted to use.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Yep, I'm in charge of everything. While the department does establish requirements that include the texts and having x number of papers and exams, the weighting of each paper, exam and any other things such as exercises/workshops and/or attendance are entirely up to the TA teaching the course, as are the grading scale and the final grade for each student in the section.

that's similar to how it was for me when I gave class to freshmen back in the day and I always introduced myself by my first name. Then again, I was sometimes only 2-3 years older than some of my students, with some of them being older than me, so being called Mister all the time didn't sit well with me.

FM