I’m teaching, formally, for the very first time in the fall. While it’s really not that big of a deal (first semester sophomore class covering object-oriented programming with Java, which I’ve been using for almost a decade), transitioning to the other side of the lectern has got me thinking.
I’ve got two major concerns going in, the first being time management. I’ve got a perfectionist streak that I’m going to have to quash, as my primary focus has got to be on completing my dissertation, and wrapping up my PhD. That kind of sucks, as I’d like to give my full attention to the course materials, and trying to put on a good a class as possible.
The other concern is running afoul of social justice warriors. While I’m in the engineering department, where we spend exactly zero time talking about our feels, the SJW thing is getting out of control. Students at Harvard Law began to raise a stink over teaching rape law, because discussing sexual assault is, you know... disconcerting. Students in the University of California system have even taken simple statements such as, "America is the land of opportunity," and, "I believe the most qualified person should get the job" as being offensive. No, really.
I'm hoping the topic of a paradigm of software engineering, and an objective discussion of a programming language, will steer clear of any of that nonsense. But still, someone may object to discussing "SQL injections" because "injections" evokes the specter of vaccinations, which we all know are dangerous and evil. Or discussing the Swing toolkit for Java, because "swing" refers to "swing dancing", and dancing is a microagression.
Those things aside, beginning teachers make mistakes resulting from inexperience and naivete. There are a lot of instructors around here in all sorts of different disciplines, and I’m curious to hear your experiences of the first time you were formally in charge of teaching of something. What did the good idea fairy bring you that you later regretted? What were some of the things you avoided doing that you probably should have? What are the cardinal rules you assembled for yourself, and now adhere to?