Dr. Christian

The last thing I ever thought I would be is .... well no, that would be a politician.  Let me rephrase that.  One of the last things I ever thought I would be is a teacher.  This doesn't include being a dive instructor because although I was technically teaching diving, it was never going to be a permanent thing.  There was no classroom, it was all on my own time, I wasn't working for a school, there weren't really any lectures, I had no contract, etc.  Let's not argue semantics and agree that I wasn't a teacher in the typical sense of the term.

Photo: www.napavalley.edu

Now I suddenly look at where I am and what I'm doing to realize that I have become a teacher even in the more traditional interpretation.  On Wednesday (a week from today), I am going to give the Physics lecture in our 2-hour diving class.  Rick is already going to have me teach at least two other lectures when he's gone this semester and if he ends up being needed in Australia, I could end up teaching 4 more classes at 2 hours a piece.  Sure it's only 8 students who I consider friends, but it's still a college course at the University of Miami.  The feeling I have is not anxiety, but rather more along the lines of excitement.  Most of the excitement is due to the fact that it is a new experience for me; it's the reaffirmation that I really am in a grown-up job working at a university and now giving lectures to a mixed graduate and undergrad audience.  What's more is that it shows that Rick has the faith in me to take control of the class.  Sure I know that teaching a few lectures is not really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but I'm enjoying the novelty of it while it's still new.  Remember, I like to appreciate the little things.