BUTTERFLIES

At 8 AM tomorrow I'll be teaching my first class of the fall semester - a training class for teachers in English speaking and listening. I'm trying my hardest not to be nervous or intimidated ... I always have the "first day of school butterflies" when I teach that first class, but I'm afraid I'll have a few more butterflies this time since I've never taught teachers before.

Later this week, on Thursday, I'll begin another class - Newspaper Reading. Though I've never taught this course before and have a lot to plan for it, I'm a bit more confident since the students are the same students I've taught since my first fall 2 years ago!

Next week, I'll begin the third course I teach - Oral English for Ph. D. students (a general education requirement for all first year Ph. D. students).

I've never taught any of these course before and never have taught students who are older than me before, but I'm excited for the opportunities I'll have in teaching new material and new students. Opportunities for me to grow and learn more about the different generations in China, and opportunities for me to enter into a different part of Chinese society than I could back when I was only teaching undergraduates. It's going to be quite a challenge, especially with all these butterflies inside me!