Well, school has started up again. I can't believe how early it starts out here. I'm used to having at least another week off--sometimes two more. Because of that, I think things are a little out of whack with my syllabus. Usually I'm pretty happy with the way things are laid out in my classes; even if they don't work, I at least have an idea of what I was thinking when I planned it. But this quarter started, and students just read their first homework assignment. In the back of my head, I know what I was thinking when I assigned it, but it just doesn't quite fit, ya know? It's like... Well, that's not really the best fit in the general scheme of things. It's like my overall picture of the class is slightly skewed.
Teaching is a chess match? What do you think of that metaphor? I'm not sure I like the oppositional nature of the metaphor. Who am I playing against? Yet, it works on a certain level, I think. You have a plan for the entire game. You need to be able to see the entire board. You go in with a strategy that constantly morphs, as you see what your "opponent" brings to the table. The rest of the game is damage control, through foresight. And the kicker is that if you focus too much on the big picture, instead of paying attention to what individual pieces are doing, it can completely derail your plans.
