“Would you be interested in teaching an undergraduate course in the evolution of American cities? We have an opening for the Fall semester.”
Hmmm - an interesting opportunity. I’ve stayed in contact with my professors in Graduate School and serve as the internship coordinator here at work, so they know my qualifications. I guess they think I can do it. Still…it has been a looooonnnnggggg time since I was an undergraduate (much less one taking a class from 7:00 - 9:40). I’d have to decide on the text to use (Jacobs’ Death and Life of Great American Cities is a must) - work up a syllabus - hmm, anything else?
For those of you that have served as adjunct faculty, any suggestions?
(Now where did I put my sweater with the patches on the elbows…and my pipe? I wonder what the co-eds will be wearing come the fall? “Hail to thee, out alma mater…”)
The big things I’ve learned in my first couple of years teaching college students:
Give them much less information than you think you should (you’re trying to teach them the basics, not prove your own command of the material), speak more slowly and simply than you think you should, and don’t expect as much from them as you think you should, as a group (some will be very bright and impress you but the majority is just sort of there and the best possible outcome is that they end the course not hating you or the discipline). Keep everything very organized-- stick to the syllabus schedule, plot each lecture like a sort of narrative (tell them at the beginning of class what The Big Point of the day is and then wrap it up back there at the end-- many of them are too lazy or dense to work it out for themselves). Just be organized, don’t overwhelm them or insult them, and don’t take anything personally (their ambivalence and boredom or tardiness-- they have their own lives. Students’ individual course performances are their own problem, though). If they don’t do well, that’s really probably not your fault, so don’t feel like you failed. There’s only so much one can do to keep them infotained, and a few will actually give a damn and step up and impress you with their work and acuity (and the slackers and cretins will wonder why you so choose favorites). Have fun-- it’s really 75% performance art/ presentation and 25% information. A bit disillusioning but once you accept this, things improve.
Are you serious? This is the Straight Dope. There are protocols to be adhered to !
The co-eds will be wearing polished black Mary Janes, white stockings, a plaid skirt cut JUST above the knee, a starched white blouse and a black velvet hair clasp. Simple pearl earrings and slightly pale lipstick.
Huh? Oh shit, wait, this thing is on??
Never mind !! Nothing to see !!
Hey congrats, if you love teaching, jump at the chance. I adore teaching. I do college and adult education of a technical yet organic nature and it is the MOST gratifying thing going. Enjoy it, and let us know about the co-eds !!
Well, first I’ve got to get clearance from my real job to take on the task (no small feat - but I think I can swing it as a “professional development” opportunity).
Thanks for the insights so far. Classes start next month (!) and if I do it, I’ll have to throw together a syllabus and get lecture notes started very soon.
Assuming you’re a human being, you will be VERY NERVOUS on the first day. I taught for seven or eight semesters, and every single time I would be a babbling, flapping, nervous wreck on the first day. And I’m a guy who likes public speaking. After ten or fifteen minutes on the first day, the nerves would quiet down.
With that in mind, head for class early enough that you can walk slowly and won’t arrive even slightly out of breath. If you need to, get a drink of water just before entering. And remember, they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.
Final piece of advice: The very last thing I’d do before entering the classroom, every single time, was stop outside the door and make sure my fly was zipped up.
ETA: If you’re the self-conscious type at all, go get a haircut the weekend before class starts. The last thing you want is to be worried about your appearance while you’re up there getting used to it all.
I’m trying to figure out how to work porn and cold beer into my lecture on the Euclid vs Ambler Real Estate decision. It is proving harder than I imagined.
My senior year I had a course called “Film Images of Politics” that often involved bringing a six pack of cold beer and a bag of popcorn to the auditorium.
Watch a film with politics as an element (among them “All the President’s Men,” “The Pawnbroker,” “Hearts and Minds,” “The Candidate,” and a few documentaries) and then keep a journal about how the film made you feel. Easiest “A” I ever received.
