Happy Class

This semester I am teaching a new class here, which happens to be exactly the same class that I taught for 6 years at UT.  As most of you know, it is a one-credit astronomy lab course for non-science majors.  It meets at night and we go outside observing if the weather is good.  I was a little worried that it wouldn't attract a lot of students at this school, because there is no lab requirement and the students just have to take two 3-credit science classes for their general ed requirements.  Basically, this class counts for nothing for them.  At UT a lot of people took it to fulfill that last credit they needed to graduate.  I was pleasantly surprised to note that the class filled up (25 students), and I have two more that want to get in.  Yay! 

Last night was the first day of class.  I didn't see this coming, but the class put me in a super good mood.  It just felt so good to teach a class/subject that I really enjoy and that I am very comfortable with.  I didn't realize it last semester, but while I was happy with my classes and liked teaching I wasn't really enjoying it, if that makes sense.  I think (hope?) that this is just because I was getting weighed down in the drudgery of new class preparations and that it will get better over time.  But in the meantime I am super glad to be teaching the astro lab class and having a fun teaching time each week.  I'm not sure I would have predicted that while teaching this in grad school!