Calm Before the Class

As this is my first year teaching as an adjunct, there were a lot of moments where I have had nothing to do but pick apart my current lesson plan and come up with ideas for different exercises. As I sit on my couch waiting for my laundry to get done so I can get ready to go to my office, I feel like this is a good time to reflect on all that I have done so far.

It was back in early spring that I first interviewed for this position and in the four months or so since, I have had a lot of meetings to get ready to teach. Those meetings made me feel really calm about everything I was getting into. It was not until now, the day before classes, that I feel a little anxious.

I took a look at my classrooms. One of them is a brand new computer lab, and is absolutely perfect for my class, with whiteboards on either side of students and a projector. Unfortunately, I have three classrooms, and one of them has the most intimidating computer I have ever set eyes on. This is a wall mounted small computer encased in a metal box. The screen is comparable to my Samsung Note 4, and the keyboard is detached. I do not have a projector, just a television. This is the classroom for my first day of class. Not an ideal situation by any means, but I will make it work one way or another even if it means last minute adjustments to my lesson plan. This is a great exercise for me in how to come up with an equally effective plan B.

I am going to my office today to come up with a new lesson plan in case my original plan does not work. My original plan called for the projector so I could show students how to navigate everything online, and so I could pull the syllabus up from Blackboard without having to print it out (I want to reduce the amount of paper my class uses as much as possible.) I also intended to show a video clip for my icebreaker to set the mood, but it looks like that may not happen.

Plan B is not yet fully developed, but I will have the syllabus on my tablet which I can read to the students and tell them to look at it for homework. I also can just set up a scenario for the icebreaker and tell it to the students rather than show them. As a fun added bonus, I can always play the audio from my own laptop, and let them imagine the scene unfolding in their heads. As for showing them how to navigate online, I can make a video and post it for homework, or show them on day two when we have the computer lab.

I am fortunately pretty flexible and able to come up with alternative ways to teach lessons, so I am not too worried. If I am able to hook my laptop up to the computer, then things will go as originally planned.

For now, I have to check my laundry, and pack for the campus.

Office or Tiny House?

So, as I told you yesterday in my blog post titled “Office Space” I now have an office! Can you tell that I am excited? 

Today when I went in to meet my office mate, we built a coffee station that my parents bought me (thanks mom and dad) and it fit perfectly next to the mini fridge. I got some canisters from Goodwill for the coffee, sugar, tea, and cocoa I plan on putting there, and brought in some plates, bowls, mugs, and silverware from home that we had in storage. The shelves are decorated with a lot of the figurines from my bedroom, and the whole office is really beginning to feel like home. It made me think about living tiny (something I want to do when I eventually move out) and my friend and I laughed at how quickly we settled in.

We even have started grocery shopping. Of course, we aren’t done yet. We have a few more things to bring in to make the space really feel like it is ours, including adding some posters on the walls and some curtains to give us a little privacy while working.

Office Space

Yesterday, I stepped foot into my office for the first time. This is the first time I have ever had an office, and though I am sharing it with another student in the program, it is still a huge step up from what I was doing prior to teaching. I am so excited to have a designated space to work on my lesson plans and other materials for class, and I can picture myself being able to get work done, free of distractions.

My office mate (I hate that term, by the way) and I decorated our bookshelves and desk with helpful office supplies and fun figurines. We decided to set up a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee pot since we will be on campus so often. I know that I will be on campus from ten in the morning until ten at night twice a week, on the days that I teach, give office hours, tutor, and attend class, so it is vital to have a way to get lunch and dinner without having to get takeout all of the time.

Today I am going back to set up my coffee table and station, and I will take pics when it is all done to share here. I have a few Halloween figurines up, but, much like Tim Burton, Halloween is my everyday, so it is normal for me to have skeletons and pumpkins up all year long.

I’m looking forward to all of the work I will get done in the office and all that I will learn this semester about myself.

So, I know I said to never trust me when I say I will post a certain day, but I actually will post later today.

Setting Up

Today, I worked on another (what I hope to be final) draft for lesson plans one and two of the first week of classes. I split the plan into timeslots, which I will likely not adhere to perfectly, but doing this gives me a good idea of when I should try to switch gears and move onto the next in-class assignment or lecture.

I also completed all of my syllabus, but for the office hours. As I am not sure when my office will be available, I do not have that part down yet. I have kept most of the standard syllabus template, but added my own information and tweaked it where I needed to. One of the things I will be utilizing this semester is Instagram. As I absolutely hate Blackboard, I want to give students an alternative. I will still have Bb as I believe it should be an option, but I will post homework reminders, vocabulary words, and different things through a specific class related hashtag. Through the tag, students will be able to find everything I post. I had to create a new Instagram account for this, but I think it will be worth it in the end. Knowing how to use the right technology to reach students is extremely important in helping them learn. I know when I have to use an outdated website or online tool for my classes, it makes me procrastinate even more than normal. By having easy access to the information, I am more likely to start on the assignment sooner. Hopefully my students will feel the same.

Remember That Time

When I said that I was going to post about orientation days two and three? Yeah, I won’t be doing that. The reason? Mm laziness. At least I am honest, right? Basically, from here on out, if I say “post tomorrow” assume it means in several weeks. Thanks 🙂

TEP – Orientation Day One

After orientation.

When I arrived at orientation, I had no idea what to expect. I sat down near my friend from class and waited as the professor and other adjuncts arrived. Everyone was a mix of excited and nervous as the professor handed us all some swag: a Rowan tote, dry erase marker, Rowan pen, Rowan folder, legal pad, and two textbooks that will be used in our classes.

Our first task was to ask a series of questions to an assigned partner to sort of break the ice. Normally I abhor these things but in this instance I welcomed the opportunity for two reasons. The first reason was because I needed time to settle down before we began to cover the information as my nerves had caused my shields to go up. The second reason was because I wanted to get to know the other adjuncts since we will all be in the practicum together. I have learned to love networking and in doing so I have also found that I can really talk to writers in a way that is hard for me to do with people who do not write.

After the ice breakers, we were assigned another task: to identify what first year college writing is and should be. After having read the chapters and handouts the professor emailed to us all prior to orientation, it was easy enough to determine how to answer the questions, but it was also worthwhile to go over the theories that surround them.

We had the head of the writing department speak briefly with us about the program and what to expect from first year writers. What I found most interesting and insightful was that often grammar will decline as new writers learn to consider tone, audience, genre, jargon, etc. I never really thought about that prior to orientation, and so it helped me realize what my main goals should be for teaching my students. I was also informed that my own grammar may temporarily suffer as a result of grading so many essays. This was compared to what happens when you say a word over and over again until it no longer sounds like a word at all.

We also ate lunch which was provided for us. That took about an hour and it was really nice to take that hour to get to know everyone, including the professor. Everyone had funny stories to share and we had a good time. The orientation did not feel like it was six hours.

We had another guest speaker whose lesson plan has been used in ICC1 classes for a couple of years now. She explained a bit about the first project we will be assigning to our students, and provided us with insight into the types of things we should expect to experience in and out of the classroom. We also learned about some extra resources for students as well as for us.

Orientation concluded on a more personal note, discussing our preferences for being in contact with our students and what we want to be referred to as in the classroom, as well as how to handle awkward situations and questions. I think for my own classroon, I will allow the students to email or text me, as I am more likely to get a text message sooner than an email which I sometimes have to refresh manually. Facebook was also mentioned as a useful tool for communication, which I am interested in utilizing for group chat.

Before orientation, I was really nervous, not knowing what to expect, but now after day one, I am feeling really confident. I like the group of adjuncts I am working alongside, and I like the professors who are running the TEP. I am excited for orientation tomorrow, which will run for another six hours. I also have poetry class tomorrow, so I am just going to stay on campus and chill for a few hours with an iced macchiato and a good book.

Thanks for reading! Post again tomorrow.

Orientation!

Tomorrow is day one of orientation for the Teaching Experience Program, or TEP. Seven other students were selected for the program after interviewing for a spot. The program provides the eight of us with a practicum on teaching at the college level, and orientation is supposed to provide us with enough insight to create our lesson plans for the first week or two.

I will be teaching a composition class this upcoming semester.  This will be the first class I will ever teach, and needless to say, I am unequal parts excited and nervous (I won’t tell you which one I feel the most).

Thankfully, I have a friend in the program, so the stress of going it alone is no longer a factor. We are also sharing an office together (did I mention I get an office!?) and hopefully we will get to see it tomorrow.

I am dressing in business casual and after weighing the pros and cons of carrying a laptop all over campus, I have decided to bring it just in case. I also have a new planner which I bought through Amazon for around twenty dollars. The planner is very simple for at-a-glance viewing, and what I love most about it is that it breaks hours into fifteen minute intervals so that when I am teaching, I will know when it is time to move to the next topic. This will be especially helpful considering the class is only an hour and fifteen minutes. I want to make the most of the time I have without stressing out the students. I am bringing a paper notebook as well in case we have to move from room to room as it was subtly suggested we might

After 5 years of living in the liminal state of retail job monotony and one-day-this-will-pay-off schooling, I finally have arrived at the next phase of my life. Tomorrow I will take the first steps towards building my career.

Check back tomorrow for an update on orientation!

Contrary to What May be Popular Belief…

I have not in fact died. I am still here, though exhausted from the monotony of life working in retail.

Hopefully within the next month that will change 😉

So what have I been up to in my absence? Well, I am taking a poetry class, and will share some of my poems with you here once they are polished. For now, I am counting down the days before I start my new job as an adjunct professor with Rowan University.

I will be sharing my journey as a first time instructor with you all come September.

Give me a break, it’s summer!

News on Apex Submission

I received the results of the Apex Submission a while back, but I had a busy schedule, so I postponed my post. As I expected, the piece was rejected. I was not disappointed as I did not feel it was very good, but having worked on the research for it all semester, I figured I would give it a chance.

This is a perfect example of putting too much effort into the research, and not enough time spent writing and revising. The professor had told us all at the beginning of class that he did not expect us to write anything worthwhile from the research because he knew that the research would take up too much time. He also had implemented a horrible, overbearing grading method called the Learning Record, which took up far more time than we were allotted for the story. It was our huge midterm and final project, so we only had a few days to focus on the story.

I still think Apex were professional in the way in which the piece was handled. If you recall from my previous post on Apex, they contacted me to tell me the story would not open, which I believe to be considerate and fair. They allowed me to resubmit the story in a new format. They also got back to me in the time they claimed they would. There was no personal message with the rejection, but I believe they were clear and concise enough.

Overall, I would still suggest submitting to Apex, especially if it is your first submitted piece. Submittable was easy to use, and made keeping track of the piece easy. I also think the editor was fair and while the rejection was not personal, new writers may find comfort in that, so that they do not feel personally attacked. Really, if I am being honest, I did not need a personal message to know what was wrong with the piece. I knew all along.

Round Robin Writes

Writing students often struggle to find their niche outside of the classroom. I know from my own personal experience, that writing had always felt like a solitary activity. None of my friends ever cared about writing, nor did my family. Getting someone to read my work with the eye of a writer was nearly impossible. I tried to join online writing groups, but there were always so many members that I felt alone regardless. There was no intimacy, no personal connection, and certainly no one-on-one. Flash forward years later to the Master of Arts in Writing Program and I have found collaboration to be easy and comfortable. I am finally surrounded by writers who write because it is what they are passionate about.

I know how lonely it can be to be a writer if you are not surrounded by the right people, and it is not fair that many writers have to wait until they are graduates to feel like they have a place outside of school. Now that I have built connections and friendships at Rowan, I want to share some insider tips and hints with other writers.

I spoke about the importance of networking in a previous post, and how difficult it was for me to do so before. Through networking, I have met some incredible people. One such writer is Jessica Tuckerman, who has created a place for herself and other passionate writers online. Her website, Round Robin Writes, is pleasing to the eye, and filled with possibility for new writers.

Tuckerman started Round Robin Writes with her team members when she was an undergrad. They wanted to let their creativity flow through story writing, and have a place to review books. They also offered writing prompts for other writers. What started off as something small quickly grew to over 500 followers. When they realized the reach of their website, they began to look at Round Robin Writes more professionally. They set ground rules for the stories, which consisted of scheduled updates after the first three rounds, with each chapter limited to 750 words. The stories also were given a limit of five rounds. To keep things professional, the story starter had to be the editor for each chapter.

Since Round Robin Writes’ early beginnings, Tuckerman and her team have expanded their reach to include a BookTube channel and a podcast.

So what does this mean for new writers? Well, right now, Round Robin Writes is taking applications to expand, hoping to create two more teams of writers. The application can be found on their website here. Applications are being accepted now until July 25th.

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JMTuckerman: An aspiring editor and graphic designer. JMTuckerman writes, designs, does videography, and coding for RRW. She is about to graduate with her MA in Writing.

Magdalyn Ann: An aspiring author, Magdalyn Ann is currently querying her first book Saving Windstorm. She is about to graduate with her BA in Writing.

K. Carneglia: The author of RE:Gen and contributor to Fight Cancer Together, K. Carneglia came on to RRW late but has since written many book reviews and chapters.

Cym Adkins: An aspiring PR professional with amazing skills on social media. Cym creates almost all of our social media campaigns and helps keep RRW on tracks.