Hooray for Long Weekends!

I think that week two went better overall than week one, but I'm still thankful for the long weekend! My current plan is to do all my regular work today (chores, reading, etc), take Sunday off to relax, and use Monday to work ahead. I'd like to at least start gathering ideas for my final projects and maybe start some preliminary research (we'll see if I get that far). The last week has been busy, but I did start to feel on top of things by Wednesday. I'm still working on figuring out how to divide my time, but I have been able to get all the readings done and plan for my class more efficiently.

My 101/107 classes are going pretty well. I remember thinking last fall about how amazing it is that the two sections can be so different. Now that I have a split section and a 107 class, the differences seem even greater. My 107 class, for example, is really quiet! It's hard to get them to discuss the readings as a class, and I haven't yet figured out how to make sure they are actually understanding the texts without just lecturing at them (not how the course is designed, nor my preferred way to teach). I have learned most of my students' names now, although there are a handful I still hesitate on. There is one Chinese student in particular whose name is difficult for me to pronounce. I don't think I've said it right yet, but I do know who she is! Overall, it seems like the class periods are just too short to do everything I want to. Maybe it's because I got used to having longer classes in summer school and I'm planning too much. As always, teaching requires constant evaluation and adjustment. But that's one of the things that keeps it interesting!

As far as my life as a student goes, I think 2 of my 3 classes will be really interesting, but the 3rd I'm not sure about. Right now, I've found myself sitting in class thinking things like "who cares?" and "why does this matter?" I think the problem is that we're talking about some very abstract theories about language and since I'm more interested in the practical, teaching-related stuff, these theories aren't appealing to me. And, of course, they're difficult to understand. Mark has warned me that it's no use questioning the importance of this material...I still have to learn it if only for the sake of the class. (He's right, of course!) So, I'm trying to fight off those thoughts and wrap my mind around the ideas anyway. I'm also hoping it will get better as we get further into the semester. Other than that, though, I think school is going well.

I think that's about all there is to say about what's going on at the moment...I suppose I'll have to get back to work!