All courses have begun! I have now met all ~430 of my my learners as classes and some individuals who have introduced themselves to me. I must say I am excited!!! There is such fantastic energy in all three of my courses that I’m very much looking forward to this term. I just came from intro psych (psyc 100 section 6) which is mostly comprised of students who are brand new to UBC… I’m pumped! In spite of the room feeling hot as an oven, my learners were engaged and with me the whole time. One student did fall asleep however, so I made the risky choice to go wake him. The point was that I want people to know that I expect them to be awake — I’m there trying to help them learn, so I want them to try to learn too. Luckily, he was a good sport about it; he introduced himself to me after class and we laughed about it.
This morning and last night I started my research methods courses (sections 1 and 901, respectively). This is an exciting, foundational course, and I got a fantastic vibe from my learners in return. Overall, there is recognition that the course is a lot of work, but I think I managed to convey that there’s a whole team of us here to support them, and more details will come. Many students introduced themselves to me personally, which I always appreciate, and during both class periods we laughed. I like laughter in class. Maybe I’ll make that a goal this year. Each class period should include laughter.
So overall I’m feeling great about this semester (in fact, I’m sitting here with a smile on my face as I write!). I feel prepared for the courses (broadly, at least!), and energized by my wonderful students. This is the start of something great.
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