First day
It's always disconcerting to finish the first day of the semester and feel like
I'm running behind already, but I guess after all these years I should be used to it. Other than that, my first class went well.
One of the things that helps me get a sense of the class make-up is to draw lines on the board showing skill levels from "not much" to "a whole lot", then have the students come up and mark where they seem themselves on this scale.
It's quick, it's non-threatening, and it gives all of us a sense of the group at the start of the semester. Last semester the range of skills was a little more spread out:
First Day, New Semester—January 11, 2010
Another first day, another year, different class:
First Day of Class—January 14, 2008
