Adventures of a Woman in Mathematics

Witnessing that question, I decided I needed to gather that information before I deleted old files to help with figuring that out.

Today I gathered the information into a spreadsheet.

I was not prepared.

1077

I knew I’d be close to 1000. I didn’t know I’d be over already.

4 schools. 8 years. 18 semesters. 12 “unique” courses. 39 classes. Average of 60 students a semester.

I did.

but “I’m sorry. We can’t open the door for you to get off the plane because the jet bridge can’t get enough traction to make it to connect to the door.”

And I didn’t see it coming until just before I asked the question with that answer. But I did see it coming before my students.

and to all my middle school and high school teacher friends: no where is safe. Not even in a college classroom filled with socially awkward math majors.

I’ve had many a nightmare about not having enough exams for students or forgetting to bring exams to the final or being late to give an exam.

And today, as I was passing out exams, I realized that I printed the wrong number (printed my smaller class number instead of the bigger class number)

and guess what?

it was okay.

I lived.

I had printed enough of the second part of the exam. (Yay me)

so I passed out the second half, printed more of the first half, and asked a colleague to go get them off the printer while I proctored.

Nightmares are rough. Living them is terrible.

A former employee at a school becoming a mentor to a current employee at said school because no one else at said school will tell the current employee how things work.

Things that did happen:

proctoring exams (not including finals) for 11 total hours during a semester

or

proctoring exams (including finals) for 7 total hours during a semester.

Proctoring an exam for 10 students is so chill. I forgot how chill proctoring an exam can be.

Like none of this 170 students in a room with at most 3 proctors and students complaining to my supervisor that I didn’t give that one specific student my full and undivided attention during the exam. I had like less than 5 questions from students. And if I answer a question wrong, that’s my problem and not the problem of 1001 students and instructors.

Well, I’m grading said assignments and only one student didn’t follow those instructions. And I found myself whispering as I flipped through “only one student didn’t understand the assignment”

Thanks. I’ve taught for a week at a school that in 3 days has taught me what it’s like to actually be appreciated as an instructor and human being and actually checks in on me rather than treat me as a cog in a machine. Plus I’ve been given actual freedom over my classes so I can pace things how I want and teach things how I want and don’t have to match my teaching style to another instructors standard and material, which shows itself in my ability to interact with students.

A few notes from this week:

The class I’ve been most scared of had ACTUAL CLASS PARTICIPATION AND QUESTIONS TODAY!! like I had students work in groups and… THEY ACTUALLY DID!

My department chair got me flowers for the first day to “brighten my office and wish me luck”

Every single faculty in every single department has been welcoming and kind.

I have 4 preps which is a lot of work, but already it has been a greater joy than any other other teaching situation I’ve been in. And I loved my grad school situation.

but also I have 1/3 of the the students I had last semester.

I literally walked by a Biology class waiting to start their syllabus day and the Biology professor was like “come hang out with us! Have yall met our new math professor? She’s great!”

The other biology professor has multiple times complimented what he hears during my teaching (across the hall from his office) and stated how thankful the whole school is for me being here. And this is the professor that after the first day of truly meeting him I had already clocked as one of the “crabby” people in the building.

overheard while working on my new classes:

“Oh Good! You can help me!”

“I’d love to help you!!!”

“Please help me take the beaver down.”