On the Other Side of the Desk
On the first day of classes, I felt a little anxious. I had never taught a college class of this caliber before. I had never had full control of my class content, structure, and grading policies. It’s amazing to have such freedoms, but I was worried I’d somehow be doing something wrong. What if the students could tell I was new? What if they didn’t like how close in age I was to them? I’d already been confused as a student on campus. My classes had also been bumped up to 25 per class instead of 15.
75 students total instead of my original 45. Quite the jump. It was a bit overwhelming.
After the first class went smoothly, a lot of that worry went away.
I have the regulars who chat with me after class, the onslaught of emails, and above-average class engagement during lectures.
I make all of my presentations as artful as possible. Partially because I hope to be that “different” professor that makes things as enjoyable for students as I can. Partially because I love the creative aspect of it and I’ve always been the nerd that adored a good PowerPoint. Is it a waste of time to put in the effort for theatrics? Maybe. But it’s getting good responses and I can use them again if I ever reteach the course.
Overall, I’m thrilled.
There are still a few more months before I’m eligible to apply for the full-time professor position. I’ve begun crafting my pitches and mock syllabi for classes I’d be able to bring in a full-time role. Fingers crossed!
More Progress in the Writing World
In terms of querying agents, I’ve gotten one positive response! An agent who wants to look at more chapters of my manuscript and then will decide if they want to represent me. I know it’s not a full request, but it’s close, and it’s progress.
I still get the onslaught of form rejections, but that comes with the territory. If I don’t get an offer of representation by the end of October, I’m going to begin querying more agents. I only have thirteen I haven’t heard back from but it’s been five months so hopefully I get some contact soon.
I’ve also taken a contract position at the literary magazine NYC Midnight as a Writing Contest Judge. I get various assignments from them and then read the anonymous submissions and score them to see who progresses to the next round. I also provide critique and praise.
Favorite Read of the Month
Well, this is awkward.
So I didn’t actually finish reading anything this month.
Not that I haven’t been reading, but I haven’t had nearly as much time to dedicate to immersing myself in fiction.
It also doesn’t help that the book I’m currently reading is It by Stephen King which is over 1,100 pages long (the longest book I’ve ever read). Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying it. But it is dense and sometimes I don’t have the mental capacity to read something of that caliber at the end of the day. Maybe I need something lighter as a palate cleanser.
But fret not, I still have a book review to give you, it’s just not from this month.
Imaginary Friend - Stephen Chbosky - Horror/Thriller Mystery - 5/5 Stars
This is one of my all-time favorite books. A consistent Top Ten placement. It’s a book I recommend to everyone. It follows a young boy, Christopher, and his single mom on the run from her abusive ex. After Christopher gets lost in the woods for three days, he comes back changed. Gifted. He also sees an imaginary friend who tells him he has until Christmas to build a treehouse in the woods and if it’s not completed, bad things will happen to the town.
People tend to be pretty divided on the ending as it takes an unexpected turn, but I loved it. It’s a book I can reread without ever getting bored.
Denouement
The semester has just started but I’m feeling confident to balance teaching, writing, and everything else. I’m sure things will get more hectic as the semester progresses, but until then, I’ll remain blissfully optimistic.
If you want to see more of me while waiting for next month, you can find me on Twitter (no I’ll never call it X), Instagram, Threads, and TikTok @TheCasualChloe.
Hi Chloe, I just taught an all women's workshop, about 100 women showed up. I am used to a week long contained retreat to pace myself. This was a new format to give a lived experience in 1.5 hours, wowo! This really through me off, but our self criticism is magnified and usually not true.
I am sure you are doing better than your mind tells you.