Sunday, May 22, 2005
Learning about teaching
Well, I definitely miss teaching. I find myself thinking about scenarios where I can do the kinds of things I do when I teach. I'm wishing there was someone who wanted to ask me questions. This is very good news, considering that when I left I wasn't sure that by the end of sabbatical I'd be even willing to go back, let alone looking forward to the good parts of it.
I'm also completely anxious about it, at least based on the frequent not-ready-for-the-first-day-of-class dreams I'm having. This next week I want to put some final touches on some documents and see if I can get moved back into my office. Maybe that will calm me down. It's weird that I have this anxiety. I am better prepared to start fall than I've probably ever been before the end of May. If I could get copies run, I could start tomorrow. (In the dream last night I showed up the first day without copies, and IT was still replacing the computer in my office, so I had no way to get anything printed.) And of course, I don't need to be ready yet.
I suspect it's just that I know I'm out of practice. When it sometimes happens that I don't play basketball for several months, that first time I get back on the court, I'm not looking to play in a game. I know I don't have my shot back yet. After a day or two of just shooting around, the confidence returns. I hope that a little prep work these next couple of weeks will calm me down for summer, and that then some time rehearsing before start will put an end to this pointless anxiety.
I'm also completely anxious about it, at least based on the frequent not-ready-for-the-first-day-of-class dreams I'm having. This next week I want to put some final touches on some documents and see if I can get moved back into my office. Maybe that will calm me down. It's weird that I have this anxiety. I am better prepared to start fall than I've probably ever been before the end of May. If I could get copies run, I could start tomorrow. (In the dream last night I showed up the first day without copies, and IT was still replacing the computer in my office, so I had no way to get anything printed.) And of course, I don't need to be ready yet.
I suspect it's just that I know I'm out of practice. When it sometimes happens that I don't play basketball for several months, that first time I get back on the court, I'm not looking to play in a game. I know I don't have my shot back yet. After a day or two of just shooting around, the confidence returns. I hope that a little prep work these next couple of weeks will calm me down for summer, and that then some time rehearsing before start will put an end to this pointless anxiety.
