Day One: Complete

I had my first class today! After my class, I had to TEACH two sections of calculus recitation. Today was the only day I will have to teach this semester. For the rest of the semester, the recitation will just be an extra meeting time for the calculus students to get help, ask me questions, go over homework problems...I'm like their tutor, but as a class instead of one on one. I was lucky enough to meet with the classes before they had regular session with their professors so I had to teach/review precalculus with them. It went well. My nerves were acting up during the first class, but they calmed down for the second.

The first class had somewhere around 40 students. There was an abundance of jocks (my perception, they could just be regular guys, but they looked "jockish"). For some reason I have always let the jocks intimidate me. All through junior high and high school I let them make me feel inferior. I have no idea why. Then during undergrad I went to a small school and although there were jocks, they were not popular because all of our teams sucked. Now I'm back at a big school and our football team is apparently the best in the state. I could care less if we had a good team. I could care less if a person is on it, yet I still let them intimidate me. Maybe I have some repressed memories of jocks tormenting me when I was younger. Who knows? I just have to remind myself that when they are in the classroom with me, they are in my stadium. I am their coach...plus they're at least 4 years younger than me. When they're struggling with their homework, I'll be struggling with mine while legally drinking a glass of wine or a beer.

I finally have plans for this weekend! The math department is having a picnic tomorrow night so a handful of the grad students are going out for some [cheap] drinks beforehand and they asked me to go with. It's going to be a rocking good time. A bunch of mathematicians drinking together. Oh the hijinks we could get into. Please note the sarcastic tone in which I type this. I'll make sure to post examples of how awesome we are.

Tonight I am going out to a Mexican restaurant with one of my roomies and her friend. Hooray for steak tacos and cheap margaritas...and late classes that allow me to sleep of a potential hangover!!