Welcome

This will be the first entry.  This blog will be dedicated to the written word.  I am an instructor of English currently at Marshall University.

What nourishes me as a teacher (this day)

Nourishment-those things which increase my ability to give.  What nourishes me?  New stuff, old stuff revisited, new toys, new students, new semester.   So, I suppose its new things which recharge my batteries. 

But I am also recharged by planning for my classes. I use various tools which help me plan, the newest one, and the one i know the least about at this point is Microsoft Project.  This little (haha) program allows me to create time-lines, view resources needed, and anticipate delays.   It makes me smile just thinking about it.

Next on the  hit parade of nourishment, is new understanding of what I am doing.  This semester I was asked to teach two new classes, ones I have never taught before.  I thought I might be nervous about it, but I learned that I liked the challenge.  I think I also liked the challenge of only learning about the classes days in advance.  but that sort of worked against my planning joys…

The most important thing I find which recharges me is new students.  I love to get a new class of students.  In my classes this often means learning about people from any where from three to nine different countries.   I find I learn more about thier homes and cultures than I could ever hope to teach them about reading writing or grammar.

What else is there…

I am not recharged by beaucracies, and unsupportive adminstrators, or people whose misplaced ambitions wonder into the classroom.  I understand alot of people have a desire to climb the ladder of success, but classrooms are not the place for this…yet i see this all the time.

I am not recharged by apathetic students…well, not exactly.  I like to turn them into good students too.  But the apathey is a real drag.

Cell phones….arghh   one more rings in my class…