For the past 4 years I’ve been teaching a course of some sort or another. I’ve taught acting courses for majors and non-majors, large introduction to cinema courses, and a team-taught critical issues course with facutly members from other disciplines. Each of these courses have been a blessing. One of the most interesting things about teaching is how much you learn (the saying is true). Part of the reason that teachers learn so much is that they prepare so much for each class day. Imagine if you will, dear students, having to give a period-length presentation/discussion session for an entire semester. There you go. That’s an aspect of the job (there are, of course, others).
Since I have also been a student during this period of time it has sometimes been a struggle. I’ve always been interested in teaching, though, and this has always led me to place extreme importance on the classes I’ve taught over the years. Many of the courses we student/instructors teach are sometimes set up to be repeatable and interchangeable to a certain degree (there is a blueprint). At least three of the classes I’ve taught have been built up without a blueprint for various reasons. This takes time. While I’ve enjoyed every second I would be lying if I said it was easy. It was, at times, very hard. This semester, however, is different.
Since I’ve completed my exams and all of my coursework I’ve turned my attention toward my dissertation. I was upfront about my desire to concentrate on this area and my work assignment for the upcoming semester has been lessened considerably: there is a blueprint again. Interestingly, however, my dissertation has me in the classroom and creating new content each week as a graduate researcher in a undergraduate and graduate course on playwriting. Perhaps I’ll never escape teaching. Secret: I don’t want to.