PWS 103

I really do love my class.  I have 31 wonderful students that are eager to learn, willing to participate, not afraid to ask questions, and sometimes they laugh at my attempted dry humor.

I teach once a week for 2.5 hours at a time.  2.5 hours may seem like a long class, especially when it hits right in the middle of dinner-hour. 

*Yawn* 

And although I have seen some people shut their eyes (I think it was just a really long blink...with both eyes...), they are for the most part quite attentive and the 2.5 hours really gives us time to feel bonded.  It's like a big group of friends that just happens to love to hang out in a class room together and listen to me ramble on randomly about landscapes and design, beauty and inspiration, lizards and purple hippopotamus....

They are excited for their assignments and generally start them earlier than later, which is different from last semester.  They don't whine about the work load, which is different from last semester (at least I haven't heard that they do.....yet).  I have twice as many students this semester, and I am keeping up better with everything administratively thus far.  Cross my fingers. XX.  I think since I am a better teacher this semester, I have better students.

Today I had many students stay afterward to talk, to ask a question, get feedback, etc.  It's great.  Really I teach 3 hours if I include the after class time with students.  This evening one student brought pictures of a water feature he designed and built for his parents when he was 14.  He was eager to show me the pictures and I just thought that the greatest thing ever - that someone would want to show me what they had created, hoping that I would be excited about it as well.  And I was.  It was important for him to show me these pictures, and you don't treat that lightly.

I have received emails from my students with comments like:

"I can't wait until next Tuesday."
"I really enjoyed our first class!"
"I am really excited!"
"This class is going to be amazing!"

How can you not be excited to teach a class that makes comments like that!  Hullo.

I am really grateful for the opportunity to teach at a university.  It's creating a better designer, thinker, and individual out of me.  I love education in all it's forms - how could one ever get bored by learning, I ask you!
("I ask you" to be read with an English accent, in the Scarlet Pimpernel fashion of course...lol!).