Here We Go!

I am still in denial. I don't want to accept the fact that August is here again. That means it's time to start prepping for another semester of teaching. This has gotten to be a normal routine and not too difficult. This year, however, I'm facing a couple of new challenges.  All I know is that both of these should be interesting and provide some entertainment in the months ahead.

The first new challenge comes at Mid-South Community College. This semester I'll be returning to my teaching of College Survival Skills. If you've spoken with me very much about teaching, you know this is a class that I have DESPISED teaching in the past. The major problems were results of course content, technology issues, and lack of clear expectations for the faculty. Since the program has undergone a total transformation at the hands of a gifted faculty director, I have high hopes for the program at the moment. Faculty members will function as advisors and mentors to the students, a fact that I think will result in better dialogue between students and teachers. The only downside for me is that I have been assigned the Saturday morning section of the course. Ugh! I'm trying to keep a positive attitude about this by acknowledging that I'll be done with my teaching at 10am and have the rest of the weekend to myself. We'll just have to see if I can maintain the same positive outlook for the next 16 weeks! As this post is being published, I am sitting in the first of several training sessions for the faculty members teaching College Survival. (Just so there's no misunderstanding, I schedule my posts to publish at 10am on MWF. I've not been blogging while in the seminar!)

The more exciting (and frightening) new challenge will take place at Union University. This fall I will teach the third semester of the class piano sequence. There are two sections of the course that I'm scheduled to cover. I'm excited because I'm finally getting to teach a major course in my discipline. I'm frightened nervous because I've done a limited amount of class piano teaching in graduate school. I know I'm capable of successfully teaching the course and look forward to the challenge. I just have to get my mind wrapped around what's ahead and begin planning for a new course.

For those of you doing the math, that's 2 new courses (3 sections total) added to 3 sections of music appreciation as well as continuing as one of Union's staff pianists. That's 6 classes! I'm thrilled! I'm also going to be a very busy man who is going to be burning up the roads between West Memphis and Jackson. For now, I wouldn't have it any other way either.  I suppose the only thing to say is that it's almost time for the craziness insanity fun to begin!