Back (again): a semesterly innaugural post

Hmm. It seems that there is a pattern developing here--a single post at the start of each new semester. I thought the schedule would ease up a bit the more I experienced I got, but the truth is as I am able to manage more in my schedule, I take more on. Throw a two-and-a-half-year-old into the mix and there's not much time left. It's a never ending cycle. I suppose I'll smarten up one of these days before I retire :-) So, here it is--my inaugural post for this semester.

Let's see. I'm taking on COM107, Creative Writing--Fiction, this semester which is a new prep for me, but I'm really excited about it. I've wanted for a long time to teach creative writing, but haven't until now had the good fortune to have such an opportunity. I'm teaching it both in the face-to-face classroom and online (two preps?). Needless to say, I'll be busy having fun with that. I'm also teaching three sections of COM102, Composition II (one online, two f2f) and one online section of LIT220, Intro to Fiction. It's going to be busy for sure, but the more I teach within English studies, the more I begin to see it as all the same thing really (in a good way). The interconnectedness of these "subjects" is becoming increasingly clear to me, which makes teaching these multiple "preps" that much smoother. The need to "change gears," as it were, between preps is become less and less. I'm hoping this semester, as I am teaching both Intro to Fiction (as literature) and Fiction (as creative writing), that I will be able to realize some real efficiencies in my approach. It's the same subject, is it not, only approached from a slightly different vantage point. I hope to continue to explore these relationships between courses in my department (and even connections between my courses and those outside of the department) in future semesters. For now, though, I have my hands full and I'm having a blast.

Ok, back to work. Perhaps there'll be more here later. Until then, cheers.