Thursday, May 28, 2009

Preparation & Improv

My work week is over, and I can honestly say I am exhausted. The preparation is intense! I feel like every moment, I have been researching, creating handouts, creating lessons, and reading intensively.

In a very short time, I am trying to learn a whole new field, a new organization, and many new people all at once.

Yet, even as I prepare, I am very thankful that one of my professors last year taught us that teaching is improv. I have had to change things and wing it already, over and over, in response to students' needs, changes in the class, other factors.

I went in the first day with one plan, but after meeting my students and learning more about their particular needs, I had to revise my plan. They are all going into MBA programs, so they're highly educated in their first languages, and they all are interested in business, commerce, banking, and investments, not to mention entering American institutes of higher education.

The second day my class size doubled, so I needed to get to know more people, and then plan day 3 accordingly.

I am so tired. I have not stopped thinking 100 miles an hour for a week.

And then there was getting to know an idiosyncratic copy machine, meeting new co-workers, setting up a new office, doing lots of paperwork.

Also this week, I had other commitments scheduled for every available hour: meeting with my son's independent study teacher, driving out of town to take my other son to dinner to celebrate his graduation from high school, and going to a dinner party at a professor's house.

I enjoyed everything immensely (except maybe the school meeting), but I'm sure looking forward to a couple of days off.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You sound happy and exhilarated. I love that part of starting a new job even if I end up exhausted.

Laura Doyle said...

Wow, you are one busy lady! I'm sure it's that good kind of exhausted that feels like accomplishment. : ) Don't forget to rest!

Indie said...

I lay right down and took a nap after writing that post. lol!

I appreciate the encouragement, Kym and Starlene, and I appreciate that fact that you are sharing in my feelings about my first week on the job. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Others of us wish to send our encouragement, but our own exhaustion or paucity of readily-available verbiage prevents it. Best wishes to you now and always! Remember, always.

Anonymous said...

Who was that cornball who wrote you on May 30, 2009 at 6:40 PM ??? Too many big words. Ugh! Some people are so show-offy!

Indie said...

hahahaha! So funny. :-)

Anonymous said...

Gran Torino, one of the epochal films of our time, will be available on DVD and Blue Tooth (whatever that is) starting this Tuesday.

Or is that Blue Ray? Blue Moon? Oh, you know what I mean!