a problem .desrever

i get bored easily.  a lot of the weird things i do are just to keep myself entertained.  i can't stand predictability.  things like having "Terrible Tie Tuesdays" (self-explanatory, i would hope), or changing my facial hair weekly are really just attempts to keep things interesting.  one of the many great quotes by Winston Churchill is "I like things to happen; and if they don't happen, I like to make them happen."

i enjoy being weird, and on one level i don't mind having a restless mind.  it's also a weakness, though..

this trait is the primary reason why i never seriously considered being a teacher up until about two weeks before i was hired to teach.  i couldn't get past the idea teachers teach the same thing over and over.  i would hate that, right?  i dislike re-telling interesting stories to my friends who are interested in the story!  how could i ever tell less-interesting "stories" that i'm less-interested in to an audience who has less interest?  not only that, but i don't like explaining!! i know that, and yet i still decided to teach junior high! voluntarily!

yeah, it's a weird thing to get hung up on.  i've already covered that angle.  after graduation, when i reconsidered teaching, i forced myself to think beyond the initial snag and get to other aspects.  ultimately, i found enough draws to decide to give it a shot.

here's the thing.  it hasn't been a problem, at all.  when i was imagining the situation, i wasn't accounting for the fact that the classes i teach will be composed of students.  students who are humans.  humans are inherently interesting (they are all different!).  ..(note the difference between "people" and "humans" here..you're probably less comfortable with me saying "humans", for whatever reason...yet, i still want to use it).. meh, i have reservations about calling 7th-graders people, anyway.

i also underestimated the power of the Socratic method.  when you let the students have some control over what direction you take, no two classes will ever be the same.  i'm frequently amazed at how differently one section of students will approach certain material compared to other sections.  each section has its own distinct personality, yet they remain unpredictable.  i think i'll come back to the idea of a class "personality" later.  it's something i observed even at Hillsdale, when the "class" was several hundred students.  how big can a group be before they lose the ability to have an identity?  how do they get that identity in the first place?

the biggest surprise?  given my tendency of self-examination and drive to pursue perfection, i'm actually enjoying teaching three sections of the same subject every day.  it gives me a chance to learn from my mistakes and make improvements every single day (note that i said "chance" — i don't always take advantage).

on an ununrelated topic, i'm going on a "diet", just until leap day.  the paleo challenge (eating like a caveman).  the reason?  it sounds difficult, and possibly healthy.  and, not only will it be challenging to stick to it, it will also add a "fresh" entertaining aspect to each day.