Settling in (again)

The first week of the new semester is over. I only put in about 50 hours this week – getting the kinks worked out, dealing with the students trying to either add or drop my classes, finding my way again. It is the same everywhere, and yet I sometimes wonder if I have it better or worse here. My answer depends on the day/time. Some things are SOO much easier here, others….

General thoughts – I am very excited about this semester, AND I think I’m gonna be working my butt off. My Scientific Thinking class is already, somewhat, pulled together from last semester. However, I learned alot from those classes and am already implementing some changes in how and when I present things. My Comparative Anatomy class is both thrilling and terrifying to me. I’ve NEVER been solely in charge of the lecture and lab for a class like this. I, thankfully, have tons of information from the previous professor. I have learned from past experience (THANKS WENDY) that it is very important to “make the material your own” as opposed to working directly from someone else’s notes/handouts/slides. So I am currently reading 3 textbooks, scouring the web for appropriate figures and rewriting most of the handouts and labs for the course. WHEW.

I had a real OMG moment yesterday, sitting in my office. I was frantically trying to finish my slides for class (in 45 minutes!) AND get the information straight in my head so that I could present it coherantly when one of the lab staff came in to ask me how long I was going to be in my office. “How odd. Why would he want to know that?” About 10 minutes later he arrived triumphantly in my office bearing a steaming, fresh cup of ‘ahwa (Egyptian/Turkish coffee). I was FLOORED. I adore this kind of coffee and had recently asked him if he knew where to get the implements for making it. Apparently he took it upon himself to collect up the gear (some he admited he borrowed from Chemistry to see if I really liked the coffee) and make me coffee. I ask you, can you think of anyone on your staff who would go out to get special ingredients to make you your favorite kind of coffee, and then bring it to you just before you were going to lecture? I nearly wept I was so flattered/honored and taken aback.

This is part of why people come here and stay. I know I am unbelievably well taken care of (ok, spoiled).