I can't honestly complain too much about the semester, truth be told. I loved my TA assignment. I worked, along with three other TAs, in service of Dr. R.'s Early Western Civilization class. As I hadn't taken a western civ class since my days at American River, it was a nice way to reconnect with this amazing history. As Dr. R. included lots of yummy cultural stuff, I felt I got in a little art, architecture, and literature as well as the standard history. In fact, that's the best part of a western civ class--the culture. Getting to talk to my students about what its really like to see Michelangelo's David in person and sharing the story of Yvette, the Uffizi Museum in Florence, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and a pesky alarm lent a personal flavor to my teaching. Sorry, Yvette. You took one for the team.
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| Dr. R. and his Amazing TAs |
My seminars weren't all bad, although I did my fair share of struggling. I don't know what my grades will be, but I have some hope for a decent showing. My next hurdle will be passing my fourth-quarter review, which allows for a committee of instructors, chosen by me and my adviser, Dr. F., to review my major projects since my arrival here at UTK and decide whether I'm qualified to move forward to preparing for comprehensive exams. This is a new process this year, and it scares the dickens out of me. I did poorly that first semester here, and I don't know how much that will be held against me.
Another worry concerns funding for next year. Rumors are swirling that funding to the History Department will be sharply cut, meaning fewer students will be funded. So, who knows. It could be that I move back to California next summer without a Ph.D. If there's a way to stay here and continue on to that degree, however, you can bet your boots I'll do my best to find it.
Gotta go. Tess is here....
