Yes Mary Ellen! It was fun! The students enjoyed it, but yknow, I keep looking back and thinking I could do something different etc...
What I learned from my first time teaching:
-Make sure you have everything before leaving the house!!!! Don't ask...
-If you're using technology (projector etc), assume everything will go wrong and test well in advance. Bring old fashioned USB mouse/keyboard... Don't use bluetooth stuff! Again, don't ask...
-It's okay to spend time elaborating on a point.. I found that I rushed too much sometimes..
-Go around class lots.. I find students enjoy personal attention more. I also brought my supplies to each table so they can see me writing personally.. a demo on a projector idn't enough!
-I am glad I bought supplies for everyone, it was all standardized and no one had problems with tools or whatever. But in hindsight, I wish I had a bigger budget for tools so I could add more stuff!
-Instead of a long lunch in a restaurant, we had a short half hour break and everyone brought their own lunch. So it was fun eating and socializing at our desks.
-I had an amazing assistant James Fajardo who went around while I was teaching... I think it really helped! He helped to explain slant or grip or whatever to any student who didn't want to interrupt the class
-Show up well in advance of class (at least one hour!) to set up the projector.. figure out a comfortable way to sit.. my projector wasn't setup well so I was struggling and sitting weird the whole time. And in turn that affected my writing and pace...
-Wear an apron! I was handling ink a lot and spilled ink on my dress
Overall it was very fun! A lot of work but I enjoyed teaching, and wouldn't mind doing it more often now that I have more experience.
