become a professor

Forever and ever. Well, with one small exception (sort-of half-done a class but it shouldn’t be a problem). Steps left to candidacy: programming assignment and research project.

I’ve finished my first week of (non-volunteer) teaching. (!!!) I never thought anything could be simultaneously so exhilirating and exhausting. The students are amazing, all very smart, they pick up on concepts quickly and run with them (sometimes in directions I wouldn’t even think of myself!) I’ve made some mistakes, but I’m learning. Big things are:

• Always be prepared! This has always been one of my mantras but never have I found it so necessary. The kids blow through material like nothing, so I must always have something for them to do next.

• Proper group choice is essential! I had lots of problems with randomly assigned groups. I spent a few hours figuring out how to rearrange them (with some input from the students) and presto, the next day they’re working much better together.

• Pay attention to individuals! Students react much better when I pay attention to their individual strengths and weaknesses.

• Treat students like equals. This I learned in Citizen Schools, and applying it here has worked wonders.

• Don’t lend students your camera. It will be dropped :)

One week, and I already know all their names (though I still get two similar-looking students with similar-sounding names confused), most of their strengths and weaknesses, their personalities, and who has a crush on whom. Looking forward to the next week.

Arrived at the CTY site today. Classes start Monday. Teaching 5th & 6th graders robotics.

This is going to be EXCITING.

Taught my older friend Skip how to use a computer the other day! He had a bit of trouble with the mouse but caught on to the main concepts quickly, and was particularly interested in how the Internet was setup up (what the difference between it and the World Wide Web are, how companies make money, etc.). He LOVED Google Maps (and I loved showing him it!), and when I was talking about data storage he remembered something he had learned before, “each character is one byte and each pixel is one byte”!

Definitely definitely love teaching.

Finished up with Citizen Schools last week. I was so proud of the students when they showed off their games, all their friends wanted to play! They even had high score competitions :)

Soon I start CTY. I’m very much looking forward to it.

I got the job, at CTY! I will be working as an instructor for Intro to Robotics, a 5th & 6th grade course, from June 26 to August 9th in Loudonville, NY. I’m extremely excited… a little anxious, because there will be lots of work planning courses and doing other things I’ve never done before but… I think I am definitely looking forward to it.

Had my interview today. It went well, I thought. But I didn’t do so hot on the discipline questions. One was, if a student was poking another one (these are 5th & 6th graders, so this might happen), and despite being told to stop, they kept doing it, what would I do? I responded that maybe I’d talk to the student after class (rather than taking up precious class time) and give them a stern warning, or perhaps refer them to the dean.

My interviewer told me that that was an OK answer, but wasn’t what his answer would have been (that’s not a good sign!). He said he would simply move the problem student to another area of the room. Of course! That’s such an obvious solution… but, my mind isn’t used to having the ability to relocate students at will. Or order them to do anything else, really. It is a tool I will have to learn to use quickly if I do get this job :)

...academic dishonesty. I hate being the authority figure, enforcing these rules on students I know otherwise work hard and are good kids. But still that’s not an excuse for them to cheat that once. It’s my obligation to be objective.

But still, I’d like to show some understanding.

I will just learn from my professors, for now.

I have a phone interview for an instructor position with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth on Monday. It is only for a three week course (although there are two sessions) but I will still have to make my own course plan, give lectures, design homeworks and projects… the whole shebang. I’m excited and nervous… excited because it’s something I’ve never done before, and nervous because… it’s something I’ve never done before! My friend already interviewed though so he will coach me a bit which will be helpful. And I think… I think my excitement will help me through the tough parts. It always has.

Plus next Thursday we (myself and two others) start as instructors in Citizen Schools. We are all looking forward to it, and there is apparently already interest among the students. It looks like we’re going to be working in a very supportive environment, the school is very progressive. I couldn’t ask for better prep for CTY.

I will be starting work on my Ph.D. in the fall, provided I finish my Master’s thesis by then. And I’m making progress on that.

I see things coming together.