New Faculty Life: Night Before Jitters

It is 11 PM. I am teaching my first class as an Assistant Professor in less than 12 hours. I am feeling excitement, but also terror. There is so much that I haven't been able to do this summer, including in terms of course preparation. I could list so many things that I wish I had ready right now. For tomorrow. But, that will only increase the negative emotions. So, let me focus on the positive...

I am moved in to my office. I am moved in to my house. I know my way around campus, and a number of faculty and staff. I have syllabi written and posted to Moodle in all 3 of my classes. I have at least a week of material posted to Moodle in all 3 classes, as well as settings tweaked.

I have a nicely balanced lecture planned for Intro physics tomorrow. The students will learn a little about the structure of the course and how it will contribute to their learning. We will discuss actual physics - with a dash of math - but hopefully at a level that doesn't scare anyone off. There will be a demo! There will be a clicker question! There will be discussion! I think it will set the tone, pace, and expectations of the class well. I have a sign-in sheet printed, copies of the syllabus, and a rainbow sign telling students to take a copy of the syllabus (since there are multiple doors coming into the room). I have a contingency plan for the impossible situation that I have extra time, and some options to make things go faster if/when I am running behind.

I have the first Electronics labs written and printed. I have (repeatedly) reminded the students to come to class ready to discuss the first worksheet. I have checked the batteries in the equipment they will be using tomorrow, as well as making sure they have the right cables. I have distributed wire and partitioned the resistors they will be using. I have prepared a few demos. I have notes on what I want to talk about.

I have a plan for the first day (Thursday) of Modern Physics. I have an experiment prepared that we will do as a group (though I need to do the final set up). I have a demo that will hopefully get them thinking and help them transition into "Modern" physics. I have the first reading quiz posted.

I still have long lists of what I need to do. There is a lot more that I would like to have done tonight... but I'm going to go home and pet my kittens. I'll probably eat some food. I'll be reading the textbook for Electronics as well, but hopefully I can be to bed by 1 AM. I want to get up around 8 AM for my first day teaching. Oh my god.