Think warm thoughts

OK, it was -40 this morning. That's cold! Today, mid-afternoon, it's -33, which frankly, isn't a lot warmer.

I got up bright and early this morning and wrote up a final exam for my class. I was too busy procrastinating yesterday to get it done; after all I had to play several more computer games, bake buns with Bram, etc. I've already got everything but the essay questions marked though, so am doing well. I have until next Thursday to get the final marks calculated. However, I also have to get the completed syllabus for next semester ready for three classes by the end of next week. One class is the same as last semester, so I just need to change the dates, and fix a few minor errors that I found when working through it. One class is similar to last year's, and so the main change I need to make is that I'm integrating part of the class with instruction by some other instructors, and am waiting for them to get back to me with their input for the syllabus and course outline. Class number three is totally new for me to be teaching, and I've written my boss requesting the curriculum, so that I can know what I'm supposed to be teaching, but haven't heard back yet. It doesn't actually start until half-way through second semester, so I have a bit of time yet. I talked a fair bit in one of my classes last semester, about learning what our different strengths were. One of mine is I work well under pressure (that's the more positive way to say that I'm a great procrastinator). Another is that I'm very flexible. That means that they can ask me to teach just about anything (at an introductory level), and I can develop a course and teach it.

I just heard back from the lead instructor for Yellowknife's Trades and Technology campus this morning. She had talked to me back in November about teaching some classes for her, but I hadn't heard anything for over 6 weeks, so assumed she had gotten something else arranged. No, she hasn't. She just wants me to teach part of the morning, for 17 days spread through three months, so it's workable, but I need to know more about what she wants me to teach. She told me English, Math and Science before, but those could possibly be fairly broad topics, so I'm hoping to meet with her soon to get it fleshed out before I have to start teaching it. The other campus is only about 8 blocks down the road, so I'll likely be hoofing it between campuses; teaching at one from 8:30 to 10:40 or so, then dashing down the road to teach at the main campus from 11 to 12. Then I rush home, check on Bram and his homeschooling, and then back to the main campus to teach at 3. It's a whole lot of running around, but I'm hopeful things will be better for next year.