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me, extraordinaire
Aug. 15th, 2003 06:50 pmFirst class! Wheeee!
So. Was I scared to death? Did I spent the last half hour before the lesson in the bathroom, trying to calm my nerves and stomach? Yes, and yes. It wasn't a class of newly-drafted recruits who are (initially, at least) scared of you. It was a class of soldiers who've been in the army for a year or more, who just need a refreshing. And it was so weird teaching them things. Explaining and drawing and pointing and emphasizing and--I'm still shocked at myself--telling some of them to be quiet and pay attention. Me. When everything in the army is all about seniority--so much that the minute I entered the class the first question they asked was what my identity number was, to see how small I am. And they knew I was new--they were at the base when I was still in the course. They were stand byers the entire time. Kind of embarrassing.
But all in all, it went well. It was only about halfway through the (45 min) lesson that I realized that hey, I really do know this material, and they haven't yet asked anything I couldn't answer-- and I also managed to add some additional enriching material they didn't know yet. And most of the class participated and cooperated and really seemed to pay attention, though I'm not sure how much the three-four who sat on each side of the rows concentrated. Which is frustrating. As a student I know I don't always concentrate in every class, but as an instructor, not knowing whether everyone completely knows the material feels like a personal failure.
All in all, though, I left the class feeling pretty good. Satisfied. Relieved, for sure.
The real instructing work will begin in two weeks, when I'll get a course or two and I'll be their personal instructor for three months. Really looking forward to it.
Besides that, I was on master sergeant duty this week, which means I had to pull out weeds. A lot. I pulled my thumb gardening, okay? It hurts like hell, I can barely bend it, and that's not good! Not when I need to switch slides all day long, and my thumb is my strongest weapon.
Here's a picture of insano-Dad from last week's race. Did I mention that the reason we were up north last week was that he could participate in an amateur duathlon, which includes running 10km, riding 44km on a bike and then running 5 more? The week of his 46th birthday? Mad.
So. Was I scared to death? Did I spent the last half hour before the lesson in the bathroom, trying to calm my nerves and stomach? Yes, and yes. It wasn't a class of newly-drafted recruits who are (initially, at least) scared of you. It was a class of soldiers who've been in the army for a year or more, who just need a refreshing. And it was so weird teaching them things. Explaining and drawing and pointing and emphasizing and--I'm still shocked at myself--telling some of them to be quiet and pay attention. Me. When everything in the army is all about seniority--so much that the minute I entered the class the first question they asked was what my identity number was, to see how small I am. And they knew I was new--they were at the base when I was still in the course. They were stand byers the entire time. Kind of embarrassing.
But all in all, it went well. It was only about halfway through the (45 min) lesson that I realized that hey, I really do know this material, and they haven't yet asked anything I couldn't answer-- and I also managed to add some additional enriching material they didn't know yet. And most of the class participated and cooperated and really seemed to pay attention, though I'm not sure how much the three-four who sat on each side of the rows concentrated. Which is frustrating. As a student I know I don't always concentrate in every class, but as an instructor, not knowing whether everyone completely knows the material feels like a personal failure.
All in all, though, I left the class feeling pretty good. Satisfied. Relieved, for sure.
The real instructing work will begin in two weeks, when I'll get a course or two and I'll be their personal instructor for three months. Really looking forward to it.
Besides that, I was on master sergeant duty this week, which means I had to pull out weeds. A lot. I pulled my thumb gardening, okay? It hurts like hell, I can barely bend it, and that's not good! Not when I need to switch slides all day long, and my thumb is my strongest weapon.
Here's a picture of insano-Dad from last week's race. Did I mention that the reason we were up north last week was that he could participate in an amateur duathlon, which includes running 10km, riding 44km on a bike and then running 5 more? The week of his 46th birthday? Mad.
