Special thanks to Jessica Knapp, Krista McCracken, and Maddie Knickerbocker for their encouragement and comments on a draft of this piece.
Dear Teaching Self
Hey it’s me. I know we don’t talk often. And I know that you’re not teaching right now. But since it’s almost Valentine’s Day, I just wanted to write you this little note anyways to let you know that I get it. Teaching is super hard. It can totally be awesome, and I know how much you love telling stories and talking about history. But it’s also a ton of work. Coming up with a syllabus is really hard, and it’s challenging to pick just the right readings. Preparing lectures and PowerPoint presentations always seems to take longer than it should. Most of your students are awesome, but there are always a couple who seem to want to make your job harder (omg, remember the student who tried to correct you with Wikipedia? In front of the entire class?). And while you’re in class, you feel great, but as soon as it’s over, you feel like a train wreck, simultaneously “on” and exhausted? And you often find yourself wondering what it is you’re doing in the first place, and whether anything is even getting through?