The Teaching Experience, Part 1, Initial Preparations

Part of my Day Zero Project was to write a blog that would document the teaching experience, so let's begin!   First, let me point out that I am writing from the adjunct, college professor, perspective.  I am not sure how this situation applies to teachers in the primary or secondary schools, so don't consider my experience reflective of their own.

I am an adjunct preparing to teach history at the local community college.  It is my first semester teaching and I'm terrified.  Teaching is a huge responsibility at the college level.  Students come in, after years of terrible history classes, thinking that this will be a continuance of the "one damn thing after another" scenario.  I have to tear down that stereotype and build up  a "like" of a subject that has, arguably, the worst reputation in the world.  I know this problem all to well because I had the very same attitude when I, begrudgingly, signed up for my first Western Civ course at Naz.  What changed my mind?  Well, my professor, as he pointed out a small, simple fact: history is a STORY that all people can relate to.  I loved that idea and that class that changed my life.  Now, I want to do the same thing for my students.

So, where to begin?  Well, I began my preparations for my classes the same way any good librarian (or library nut) does: I checked out all available books on the topic.  I knew how to do the lecture part (a word of advice for any would be teachers, present at a LOT of conferences and the presentation jitters will be brought to a minimum.) it was all that other prep: the syllabus, the online component, office hours, creation of projects, dealing with the various types of students etc.  The majority of my advice came from  The Chicago Handbook for Teachers: A Practical Guide to the College Classroom.  This book should be part of any college teacher's collection as its littered with the most practical advice experienced teachers have to offer.  It also makes apparent all the prep work teachers have to do and how little they are paid in return.  For my part I have to work with texts that I'm given only a month or two before classes start.  With the incorporation of MyHistoryLab, I have to set up a website that is personal and reflective of the course.  I need to prepare assignments, tests and quizzes, and then I will have to change them to suit my class.  This is a very time consuming process.  I say I put in two hours a day for a class I'll teach in August.  Wow, that's a daunting amount of work!!  I'm sure if I wanted to do a half-assed job I wouldn't have to do as much.  But, I want to do the best for my students, so I will do the best I can for them, and, like everything else, it all starts with my prep work.

What do I have to do in order to prepare for my classes?  First I have go to training and get the texts from the department.  Then, I have to read the texts I'll be teaching, along with the supplemental material.  I'll also have to tinker with the MyHistoryLab multimedia materials to develop a personal site for the class.  After that, I can prepare a syllabus and lecture notes.  All of this before August 1.  I think I'd rather write another thesis paper.  :)

However, for the first time in my life I'm doing something that I truly LOVE.  All the work and time, in the end, is worth it.

Stay cool, you crazy cats!
MA