Today
As you can see I’m intensely creative with these titles…
Classes went fine today; I hope my classes are inspiring for students, but I don’t think that really happens all that much when you’re reading through the syllabus. I’m glad I’m teaching Composition courses but I really can’t wait to teach a novel.
And let me know if anyone has some good motivation tactics to keep students interested — besides doing circus tricks. 
September 1st, 2006 at 1:47 am
I’d do circus tricks if I was able.
Long ago I stopped spending too much time on the first day going over the syllabus–it’s an energy killer. I try to jump into some content or activity as quickly as possible.
BTW, what’s keeping your students from discovering your teaching confessions on this blog?!
September 1st, 2006 at 4:09 am
Very good point! Will have to stop blogging about teaching then…
September 1st, 2006 at 10:34 am
It has been my experiance that a correctly timed explosion will always get peoples attention.
If that does not work, turning a tractor into a pumpkin cannon is always an acceptable second choice.
Mr T
September 1st, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I found wearing crazy earrings and promising a story at the end of the day (as long as they were good) helped. However, I was teaching primary, but you never know. Good luck.
September 1st, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Yay – I’m glad everything went well! I have no tips, though Judith’s earrings/story idea cracks me up…
Oh but I was looking forward to hearing all sorts of funny teaching stories! I guess I’ll have to get those through e-mail.
September 1st, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Judith, so great to hear from you! How’s your new flat? I hope you’re loving it (how could you not?).
Katie, well I imagine I will blog generally about teaching but yes, email is the better option.
September 1st, 2006 at 8:42 pm
Glad to hear it went well – music helps, when they’re writing….:-)
September 2nd, 2006 at 2:43 am
Hmm,
I found raw hunks of meat always get a students attention, especially when they are being slung at them.
You could add effect by telling them that it is what’s left of the last student who mentally checked out before class was over…
Pull the chunks out of some book bag with some name on it like “Harold O… ” the rest is scratched out so it can not be traced.
Finally every time you hear sirens in the distance stop for a moment witha wary look in your eyes, until it is clearly not coming in your direction…
Optional accoutrement… a very thick manifesto that has all the signs of being dragged into the deep forrest, a handbook on dangerous chemical combinations that you can buy at the grocery store, and a picture of a tank that is more prominent than a picture of you and Bryce sitting at your desk…
If that doesn’t work, nothing will.
September 2nd, 2006 at 4:51 am
Thoughts from an actual college student (and as such, mine trump all others…*rolls eyes*):
1. Personal anecdotes are cool, but don’t overdo it. I had this class one semester where all we got was the professor’s stories and nothing actually educational.
2. My learning style likes a mixture of lecture and discussion, but that may just be me. Freshman-level classes may do better with more lecture (I think I remember doing a lot of note-taking my first year).
3. If all else fails, donuts always work. Even at 3 in the afternoon. I’m not even kidding.
September 2nd, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Dude,
What you need is a nick name. Something you students come up with themselves. All you have to do is find something ecentric to wear or say.
For instance, my fist and middle initial are D and J
My students started calling me Disco Dave because of it.
Then again, I don’t comb my hair and always have a slight tired look to my face. Plus, I was born in the 70s.
September 2nd, 2006 at 6:05 pm
D, they call you Disco Dave? I didn’t know that.< /sarcasm>
Joe, that’s pretty tweaked, dude.
September 2nd, 2006 at 6:26 pm
tweaked?
September 2nd, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Hi Ashley! Lovin’ the flat very much – although the weather faded pretty quickly after we moved in so we haven’t had much opportunity to make the most of the garden. Determined to get another BBQ before it gets ridiculously cold and rainy. Will write you an e-mail soon with details and pictures (hopefully – it’s all still a bit of a mess so ashamed to take any pictures just yet!) because I’m sure all of your blog followers aren’t interested in the details of MY life! Currently our flat features a great big hole in the sitting room which Craig made last night to make way for a fabulous reproduction fireplace which is on the way. I stayed out of the way and went to the ladies night at the Mela with Neyir and had peirogies afterwards (Sp? Jonathan? David?) Sorry for the long comment. Will go now.
September 2nd, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Ashley,
Reflecting on my college experience, I would agree with Manders’ post above that there should be a nice balance of lecture and Socratic seminars. Students want to give their opinions and ask their questions so give them the forum to do that. However, I too, remember classes that were totally a waste of time. The professors would get completely off-topic or assign material that wasn’t relevant to the class. From reading your blog for the time that I have, I sense that you are very, very passtionate about literature–this is a huge plus! Some of my favorite classes were teachers who were so enthusiastic and knowlegeable about their subject material. I totally see this being you.
As a teacher, I also think a snack for the class is a huge plus every now and then, but don’t overdo it; it should be a cool treat. I also think it’s good for students to understand the importance of assignments: i.e. why they are putting effort into what I have given them. Granted, you can’t bring them all onboard, but take the ones you can. Oh, and if you can motivate them to focus for the day in class by letting them out a bit early, go for it. I couldn’t do that with my junior highers really, but I remember digging that in college.
September 2nd, 2006 at 10:33 pm
I only frequent this blog in order to read Mr T’s comments. The Pumkin Canon is, I think, his best piece of advice so far. :0)
September 4th, 2006 at 8:21 am
Ashley, I’m glad your classes went well! I’m sure you will be a respected teacher, mostly because you are thinking about how to make classes better for the students. I remember several college professors from my student days who seemed to forget that they had students in the room, lost in the sound of their own voice.
And walking around the room is also a great tactic- students don’t care for it, but they pay attention more if the teacher is still talking but is now walking behind them instead of in front of them. Keeps people in the back from feeling like they’re hiding!
I’ve been trudging through 3 weeks of classes now with my 8th graders. Not sure that my strategies with them will help with your college kids, but giving examples that involve the students are good (for talking about the importance of government, I point out student X and ask them how much money they have on them. Then I tell the rest of the class, ‘There are 35 of us and only one Student X. Why don’t we take her money and split it up between us?’. This gets Student X’s attention, if no one else)
I hope your second week goes as well as the first, and I hope you get to some more Hollywood Bowl concerts before the season ends.