Ready or Not...

It's back to school.

Today's first classes went well. My afternoon class was a bit quiet. I hope that was just first day boredom, because otherwise there is at least one girl who's going to earn my wrath. She was already almost nodding off. Maybe she expected a song and dance. It would work in this classroom because it is way too big and there is actually a stage at the front. It's hideous. I cannot spend an entire semester standing on stage in front of the class. Someone clearly needs to hear my, "I am not Robin Williams" speech. I didn't get home in time to request a new classroom, so I'll try tomorrow.

There were so many people on campus today. I miss the quiet summer pace of campus.

Shifting Philosophy

As I mentioned in my discussion of the new TA orientation, the addition of a new Director is instigating a shift in departmental philosophy. It was rightly pointed out that our departmental philosophy has never been overtly articulated, but I think it's always been pretty implicit by the few things that all TAs are expected to do in their first semester here. Perhaps philosophy is too formal of a word, what I'm discussing is more like a departmental ethos.

As I sat through another two days of orientation with a group of lecturers, I listened to Dr. Midwest talk about one of the texts she asked them to read. She pointed out a chart in it that highlighted the difference between courses that use "writing to learn" (wtl) and courses that are about "learning to write" (ltw). As false as most dichotomies are, this one comes the closes to identifying the change happening in our department. This chart doesn't address the fact that wtl can facilitate ltw, but that is a different conversation.

During my time as a TA in this department, I would say that the focus has been on making our classrooms places where wtl happens. TAs are given the freedom to bring whatever focus they like to their classroom as long as their students leave with an understanding of the basics of rhetoric and writing process. (Well, after the first semester when they have to use the same text.) The idea being that whatever the topic covered in the class the application of rhetoric and the focus on revision and process would help students develop writing skills.

From what I can tell so far, Dr. Midwest is committed to the composition class being a course about ltw. Her first concern is that students leave the course having developed as writers. That goal is the same as before, it's just that she thinks about the path to that goal very differently. Her ltw approach is very practical, which is demonstrated by the texts the new TAs are using this semester.

Over the next couple of years I think the tension between these two approaches will play itself out in the amount of freedom TAs and lecturers have to design their 101 courses. I'm sure the day to day will stay in the TAs hands, but it would not surprise me if there was a move to a common 101 text. I could be wrong about this. Right now Dr. Midwest has only been here a few weeks. She hasn't had the opportunity to really experience the department. Maybe some of her own views will change over time.

Please remember, this is just the way I've seen our department working and the way I think it may go. I'm sure there are plenty of other TAs who would characterize our department differently. Also, change is not a bad thing. I just think there will be some pendulum swings before the department settles down into its new identity with Dr. Midwest.

Wallowing

As usual, I'm a little late in picking up this challenge I found over at Veace, but it was just too fun in a morose way. The challenge: create a playlist/cd with the Saddest Songs in the World. I used only what was currently in my iTunes library, so I'm hampered by the fact that the Counting Crows aren't in there. I think I made up for it with the Jayhawks.

Anyway, here it is:
Suite No. 5 in C minor for solo Cello -- Pablo Casals
Ann Jane -- The Jayhawks
I Wish I Was the Moon -- Neko Case
Love Has No Pride -- Bonnie Raitt
That's How I Knew -- Aimee Mann
Blue -- The Jayhawks
Too Long at the Fair -- Bonnie Raitt
Runnin' Out of Fools -- Neko Case
Death Before Dawn -- Liz Phair (This might not be the actual title.)
New Favorite -- Alison Krauss & Union Station
I Want You -- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Idaho -- Josh Ritter
Goldberg Variations Aria Da Capo -- Glen Gould

Week Long Orientation

...is finally over.

Planning orientation is just one of the responsibilities of the AD position, but it's probably the biggest. It's been an interesting ride putting this all together. There have been a few bumps in the road, but overall it went pretty well.

No one who has been around me for the last week would believe I'm about to say this, but...I almost wish that this was a two-year appointment so I could do it again. But, the thing is, now that I've done it, I know what needs to be done. Sure I can pass on information to the next AD to help them next year, but until you've been through it, it's kind of inconceivable.

About the bumps.

The largest bump really had nothing to do with me; and, there is nothing left to do about it except suffer through it.

The smaller bump I wish I would have anticipated. As we worked through the week to discuss ways to use their assigned texts, we neglected an important aspect of orientation. We didn't really give them a clear statement about our departmental philosophy. In a way it was inevitable. With a new Director and changes in the works, our departmental philosophy is shifting. I did my best to re-iterate the things that I think are essential and will remain the same. the new TAs should understand the heart of our program. It's just the message could have been clearer and stronger. The Director and I already discussed some of this. I just wish there would have been time to figure out the changes before the new TAs began. There was just no way for the new Director to know all of that before this year.

I may have asked for all of this taking on the AD position in such a transitional period. All I can say is that I definitely deserver more money for this.

Well Laid Plans

I don't know if I've mentioned it here or not, but the DH and I have been sharing a car all summer. It's partly an effort to save a little gas money, but also because his car is not in the best of shape.
It's the other reason I've often been stuck at home.

One benefit of having just one car is that I get to hone my skills at planning the most efficient sequence of accomplishing errands. It does my little Virgo heart good when I can make the first stop on my list the farthest from home and then work my way back. It makes both the DH and I really happy when we can use one car without having to do too many drop-offs and pick-ups.

Putting the finishing touches on the new teaching assistant orientation has required me to spend most of my time this week on campus. This hasn't led to the most efficient drop-off/pick-up schedule. So, for today I purposefully planned NOT to go to campus, because the DH had to work and there would be less running around if I didn't have to go to campus. Now...I actually have quite a bit to left to do on campus, but I figured not going there today would be okay because I could spend all day tomorrow there. I would go to campus around 8:ish do all my office chores, walk down the hall to my 10am meeting, then spend the afternoon running errands on campus while I waited for books to arrive.** After the books arrived I would head home and the DH could go to work.

It was a pretty damned good plan, if I do say so myself. As you can probably guess, that is not how my day is going to work. Nope. How do you thoroughly destroy such a beautiful plan? Move the 10am meeting to 11am and hold it off campus as opposed to just down the hall. Oh...and it's not just off campus, it's the equivalent of all the way home.

It wouldn't be so bad except that I really do have enough stuff to do that I need to go to campus before the meeting...and, because I have to wait for the books, I have to return to campus after the meeting. yeah. There goes my well planned day.


**Don't get me started on why I need to wait for the books. Just don't.

Back to School

School doesn't really start for three weeks, but summer is over for me. Tomorrow is my first, of many, many days on campus before the semester even begins.

Everything is in place for the new TA orientation...I think. Something will fall apart, someone will not show up, and, well, I'll cross those bridges when I come to them.

Last night, at what I consider the first party of the year, I realized this is the first semester that I'm not taking classes. Last fall I didn't have classes, but I did have directed readings, which made it feel like I had classes. Last spring I didn't have classes, but the looming pressure of comps made sure that I still felt like a student. This fall, although I have a dissertation to write, is the first time I'm more teacher than student. I'm not sure I can express how scary that is for me. Two weeks ago I was raving about how sick I am of this process. "Screw the dissertation. I'm ready for the job." Now, the reality that I no longer have a place on the other side of the classroom is sinking in.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good transition. And, really, I am ready for it. It's just that for so long my family, and probably everyone else, have thought of me as the "professional student" that it's weird to think that I am so close to never being a student again.

Yeah, yeah, I know...if I am doing my job well, I will always be a student at heart. It's just not the same as sitting at the back of the class.

On the side...

The two of you who read this may notice the new button on the side.
One of my secret pleasures in the blogosphere is reading Mommy-blogs. Hence the link to dooce over there and to Kirsten's blog which is always a good read.

Don't read anything into this. Most of you who read this know the DH and I and probably have a pretty good idea of the disaster the act of our procreating would bring on the world. Nobody wants that...except for my mother-in-law.

So, why do I read these blogs? I don't know. They are funny. When they are not funny, they are thought provoking in ways I don't normally encounter.

The new button will send you over to Motherhood Uncensored, where Kristen Chase explains her plan to Blog the Recession. Click. and then click around some more. Oh, and be sure to go check out Redneck Mommy, it's the latest addition to my growing list of regularly read mommy-blogs.