(no subject)
Week three of teaching is now complete. It feels different this time. I’ve taught before at other schools and it didn’t feel nearly so… intense. I can’t describe it. Wakaito was one of the most stressful experiences of my life but I think that had more to do with my own studies, my own demands, because the classroom was almost a second thought. Now the classroom is my only thought. My sole occupation. It’s creepy. People, students especially, talk to me like I’m important. Before we were kind of like co-conspirators, struggling together through the trenches of academia. Now they call me by my last name, which is just weird and I’m trying to break the habit of it. They don’t laugh at me when I do something stupid anymore; they just sit there writing notes. As I say, creepy. I’m not used to holding this, well, power over people. As a prof in training my students liked and respected me but I was still almost one of them. The things I said and did were still open to interpretation. I don’t get challenged nearly as much. I’m hoping this will change as they get used to me and my lack of any formality or pretence. Or perhaps when I start to teach older students, more senior classes.
They are so cute though. They stand all awkward in the door of my office. “Uh…excuse me.” I love it. Especially this one female student in my theory class. She’s so detail-oriented and thorough but so insecure. I wish I could just hug her and tell her to trust herself. That everything is going to be okay. But they’re not my friends, I gotta remember that.
Speaking of friends, Jay invited me to his place for Thanksgiving. I love that I live so much closer to him now. He’s still living in the US, the bugger, but at least he hasn’t forgotten about poor little me. Just two weeks and I will get to see him again! Which means, I need to either rent or finally suck it up and find the car I was hoping I wouldn’t have to purchase. I forgot how stranded one can feel without a vehicle. Back when I first moved to Limerick I remember what it was like having to wait on public transport in order to leave the city. No easy. And Lim was a lot bigger than the town I’m in now.
I’m hoping to find something small and reliable, that’s it. At this point I’ll even drive a Ford if it’s cheap. Yikes!!
The fall fair is this weekend and I’ve been pumped ever since I first heard about it. Especially for the apple pie contest. Seriously. This town rocks.
I haven’t met very many people outside of the school but I’m beginning to think most of the people, like eighty percent, work there anyway. I’ve only received a few curt greetings from colleagues, almost everyone has been pretty welcoming. At other schools I’ve taught at - this is also something new - most of the departments kind of stuck to themselves. Music hung out with music, history with history, math with math. Here nobody sticks to their department. I met up with some other newer professors for lunch the other day and not one of them was from the same area. Although they informed me I was the first from music to eat in the cafeteria. Apparently we’re the only snobs.
They are so cute though. They stand all awkward in the door of my office. “Uh…excuse me.” I love it. Especially this one female student in my theory class. She’s so detail-oriented and thorough but so insecure. I wish I could just hug her and tell her to trust herself. That everything is going to be okay. But they’re not my friends, I gotta remember that.
Speaking of friends, Jay invited me to his place for Thanksgiving. I love that I live so much closer to him now. He’s still living in the US, the bugger, but at least he hasn’t forgotten about poor little me. Just two weeks and I will get to see him again! Which means, I need to either rent or finally suck it up and find the car I was hoping I wouldn’t have to purchase. I forgot how stranded one can feel without a vehicle. Back when I first moved to Limerick I remember what it was like having to wait on public transport in order to leave the city. No easy. And Lim was a lot bigger than the town I’m in now.
I’m hoping to find something small and reliable, that’s it. At this point I’ll even drive a Ford if it’s cheap. Yikes!!
The fall fair is this weekend and I’ve been pumped ever since I first heard about it. Especially for the apple pie contest. Seriously. This town rocks.
I haven’t met very many people outside of the school but I’m beginning to think most of the people, like eighty percent, work there anyway. I’ve only received a few curt greetings from colleagues, almost everyone has been pretty welcoming. At other schools I’ve taught at - this is also something new - most of the departments kind of stuck to themselves. Music hung out with music, history with history, math with math. Here nobody sticks to their department. I met up with some other newer professors for lunch the other day and not one of them was from the same area. Although they informed me I was the first from music to eat in the cafeteria. Apparently we’re the only snobs.