Just wanted to remind people that I love when you subscribe. It makes my digital-gratification addicted Millennial heart sing. Better than drugs. So sign up now if you haven’t already. And consider the paid version. It’s VERY cheap considering the top notch quality of writing you get every week. Just under a dollar a week! It also helps me afford to be able to do this every week! And you can feel like a 15th Century Venetian Doge, a true patron of the arts.
The human body is an odd thing. Especially when you’re nervous. Most people have some sort of response to nerves. Often, it’s a combination of a number of reactions. For example, when I’m nervous I do four things. Apologies in advance if this is too much information, or gross. One, I go to the bathroom a lot more than normal. Two, I talk much less than usual. Three, my right armpit, not my left, just my right, starts sweating a lot. My fourth reaction is a conditional one. If I know a big event or presentation or whatever is coming up, I won’t sleep well the night before. I’ll toss and turn for a couple of hours, checking my phone to make sure that I didn’t oversleep. Guess my body does not believe in maxims about “a good night’s sleep.”
Today, I teach my first class at the collegiate level. I’m nervous. I did not sleep well last night. I’m considering bringing a spare undershirt. Understandably so, I believe. I will be the instructor for Modern America: From Industrialization to Globalization, or, if you want the less formal title, American History Since the Civil War. I’ll have sixty students, minus the few who will inevitably drop/add the course in the first two weeks. We’ll be covering everything from The Freedman’s Bureau to the January 6th insurrection, and a lot more besides. A whole lot more besides.
Sidebar: Teaching all of American history from between 1865-2022 in only 16 weeks is basically impossible. There’s just too much to cover in the US, let alone the world. There’s just no time to dig in on stuff. So, I try to expose students to a number of different topics, events, and people. More importantly, perhaps, work on skills that will allow them to investigate the parts of American history that they find interesting. This is the role of a survey course, introducing people to the vast breadth of modern American history, helping students discover the things that they are interested in, and figuring out ways to learn more about those topics. Excitement is perhaps the most powerful teaching tool available.
I shouldn’t be that nervous to teach this class, but I still am. I’m not new to teaching. I’ve run my own discussion sections at the college level for years now. During my undergrad education, I student taught five high school American History classes a day for about fifteen weeks. I even have a lot of family experience to rely on. Most of my family are teachers. My dad, three of my uncles, two of my aunts, one of my grandmas, one of my grandpas, and two of my cousins have all taught, trained to teach, or are working as teachers/professors (sorry if I forgot anyone!). In short, I’ve had experience. Truthfully, it’s not the teaching I’m the most worried about. I’m more nervous about the responsibility.
It's a big responsibility to teach. From pre-K on up, teachers have an influence on students of all types. The United States has an odd relationship with this responsibility. Politicians at all levels talk about the role that teachers play and how important they are to the community. Yet they often refuse to compensate them justly, impeding their ability to live up to that responsibility. Every year teachers across the country beg for money for supplies for their classrooms. Every year class sizes grow, limiting the amount of time teachers can spend with their students. Every year students and teachers attend schools without proper cooling and heating systems, healthy meals, or school nurses. This is one of our country’s greatest sins. Most people can name at least one teacher who had a positive effect on their life. Yet our cultural lexicon is filled with canards about “getting summers off,” “glorified daycare,” and the most famous of them, “those who can’t do, teach.” The US can’t make up its mind on whether to honor or mock them. Hell, the most popular new sitcom in recent memory, Abbot Elementary, is about this dichotomy
This is true at the collegiate level too, though in different ways. The cost of an undergraduate degree has skyrocketed since the 80s/90s. It only becomes more and more expensive every year. Where students used to be able to work a summer job baling hay to pay for college (my dad), many of them now must go to into massive debt, and work jobs, all to be able to pay for college classes. Working full-time and taking classes is basically impossible. This will most likely be true for the majority of my students, many of them the first in their families to attend college. I don’t argue that people should avoid college, go straight into the workforce post-high school. I argue that everyone should be able to go to college, for free, if they want to. In a world where even having a minuscule shot at moving up in the world requires an undergraduate, if not a master’s degree, this is a system that does not work. One that is on the precipice of exploding. This is why I’m nervous. I’m nervous for my students, for my country’s educational system, and its views about teachers.
I don’t want to be that much of a downer. I’m not just nervous. I’m also excited. I’m excited to be back in a classroom. I’m excited for the millions of students across the country who will start classes today. I’m excited about all the new scholarly work being done. I’m excited for kids, teens, and young adults all figuring out what and how they like to learn. The first day of school represents new opportunities, new experiences, and new knowledge. It’s hard to be too nervous about.
If you’re interested in my syllabus for this class, or just want to take a look at some of the readings, reach out and I’ll send you a copy. I always welcome feedback!
Liked this post? Please share.