I just finished my first week as a college professor, yes that is correct, Bill Nye is in full effect. So far I have called a compound bisexual, told the class I'd been drinking, allowed world cup updates to be posted during class, and dropped the eraser too many times to count...... so needless to say, its a circus.......This whole class is the dipping my toe into the proverbial pool that is college level teaching. And it has lead to me putting a lot of pressure on this one experience, as if this is going to decide the rest of my life. At the slightest resistance, I get cold feet and write off teaching as a stupid idea, and then I jump back on board. The hardest part so far has been the role reversal of going from student to teacher. I used to show up to a class, text, draw goofy drawings in my notes and not participate, and now, my students do the same thing to me. Don't they know that I'm trying to help them! Don't they know that this stuff is interesting! I guess I can't really talk when I did the same thing.
The world cup starts tomorrow, which is lovely on so many levels..... The USA will hopefully advance past the first round and allow me to get very patriotic and xenophobic at the same time. It's also the first world cup to ever be hosted on the African continent which is HUGE. It's a great opportunity for South Africa to show case it's culture, show that its economically viable, relavent, and a non-third world country.......As w/ all great opportunities a lot of pressure is involved, and South Africa HAS to appear like they have it together. As a result THIS is happening...It's the same thing that happened in Denver when the Democratic National Convention showed up, all of a sudden the homeless disappeared for a while....Why as people do we feel like we have to do this? I know I'm guilty of it all the time. I have to appear that I have everything together, I sweep the ugliness under the rug so nobody knows. Are a few scars and homeless people really that bad?
Note prepping all day
Let me rest my head
And rock climb
