Hello, sorry all for creating yet another thread, I seem to be demanding a lot of advice recently...and all about the same thing!
I start teaching tomorrow and whilst I'm feeling ok about the whole thing generally, I am worried about showing physically that I'm nervous in front of the students. In other words, when I'm nervous my hands tend to shake, my voice dries up, and its blatantly obvious that I'm terrified. Has anybody had a similar experience and managed to keep these things under control somehow? It might be that I just have to accept it and wait for it to pass but I'd be interested to hear if anyone has managed it.

Thanks a lot.

Hello all,

Well tomorrow is the big day. Nerves are starting to kick in and I don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight....is there any part of the PhD process (and related activities) which isn't gut-wrenchingly terrifying?!
Anyhow, thanks a lot for all your ideas. I've decided to go for something simple and just ask them to get into pairs and find out some basic background info about their partner, then share it with the class. Then I'm going to ask them to get into threes and come up with a few of their favourite and least favourite authors, and then in fours to discuss what they've enjoyed/not enjoyed studying in the past and what they're looking forward to/not looking forward to studying at university. That should take up a good half hour at least! I like the idea of getting everybody up and milling about but I'm so nervous that I think I'm best starting with something quite sedate.
Cobweb, my subject is English Literature.
Wish me luck!!!!!!!

Me again!

2 threads in one day, how lucky you all are 8-)

I'm busy putting together my first seminar which will be on Tuesday. It's just going to be a brief introduction to the course and the module, and I want to do some sort of 'getting to know each other' exercises. Has anybody done anything similar and could they recommend some which went well?

Thanks

Hi all,

Bit of a strange one, bear with me. I was reading another forum today and there was a thread 'what makes your heart soar with happiness?' (I went with a slightly less schmaltzy title ,-) ) People posted about all kinds of things, big and small, serious and silly. You could even mention academic things if you like :p It was really nice to read and its made my work that little bit easier today. So I thought I'd try it here!

Me: the sea, big mugs of coffee, the smell of bonfires and chilly air at the start of autumn. Those rare days when I find myself totally immersed in my work and my heart starts beating a little bit faster.

I love this forum *group hug* Thanks for all the advice and support so far.

I saw my head of deaprtment today and I start teaching in 2 weeks time (still can't give me an exact date for my first class). It is tutoring, Sue, so I'm mainly there, as you say, to facilitate conversation. It's a year long introduction to literature module, so I'll be covering ground right from the early modern period (my 'area') up to very recent stuff which I'm less confident with.

Everything seems still up in the air at this point. I haven't got an academic CV yet (naughty me) so I need to get that written and sent off by tomorrow, apparently. There is some kind of induction for new tutors , but again he couldn't give me a date, only that it will be before I start teaching. I don't know how much will be dealt with in terms of teaching methods/ techniques. My main port of call will be lecturers in the deaprtment and I've been e-mailing around today trying to organize meetings.

People keep telling me I'll be 'great' and I think that, if I can get past the nerves and feeling of inadequacy, that I could actually be a very good tutor (if I do say so myself). My supervisor said today that as soon as I walk in the door the students will accept me as their tutor, for better or worse. People aren't going to stage mass demonstrations and question my position every time I slip up (my secret fears).

Keenbean, 60 to 80 students!! I do not envy you at all! (But I'm sure you'll be fine! (up) )

======= Date Modified 08 Sep 2009 17:40:54 =======
Thanks to all for the advice.



I'm meeting the head of department on Thursday (he's also my sup) so after that I'll know what I'm actually teaching which should make it easier! I guess I just have to prepare the best I can and then get stuck in there and see what happens. I just really, really don't want to go in there visibly full of nerves.



The reference idea is very clever Sneaks ;-) I'll be using that! Splitting into groups to work on tasks could work too and would take the pressure off me for a little while.



As an aside, I feel suprised that I've been allowed to do it and very happy. It's strange that you (or I at least) fret about being able to do these things at the beginning- conferences, teaching etc- and then, I don't know about anybody else, but eventually things start to fall into place and accumulate until you look back and think 'wow, I did all of that!' I was the world's most under-confident PhD student until recently and its strange to see that a year on I actually appear to be ticking along fine. I don't know if I'm making any sense here, just pondering...

Hi all,

Just found out I will be teaching part-time this semester. I'm so pleased to have the opportunity but I just know I'm going to be SO nervous! I've just started my second year and I'm 22...I get nervous in the silliest of situations so God knows how I'm going to cope with this!

Any tips/advice/stories will be hugely appreciated.

Cheers,

I've sent him a quick, friendly e-mail. Don't really know why I was worrying!

Sorry this is so late. Just want to say thanks to both of you for replying. It has indeed turned out to be much more of an arduous search than I thought it would be. I went to an open day at the BL last year and they made it sound like you could just drop in and look at any old priceless manuscript whenever you wanted- not so!

I e-mailed however and they were very helpful, told me where the texts I needed are and what I would have to do to look at them. I'm now trying to figure out whether its worth the hassle of gathering written reccomendations and taking time out to go down there when I don't really need to see them.

Anyway, just want to say thanks (up)

Afternoon all,

My supervisor is usually very, very punctual with getting work back to me- I'm talking the next day, usually! This week though I sent him a chapter draft on Monday and he hasn't got back to me at all, even to acknowledge he's received it, as he usually would. He has e-mailed me in the mean time to ask for a book back which I lent him and to say thanks after I dropped it in his pigeonhole.

Should I check he received the e-mail or is it unbearably pushy of me? If it was anybody else I would think he just hadn't got round to looking at it yet but he's been my supervisor for a year and this is quite unusual.

I did warn this would be quick and silly :p

======= Date Modified 07 Aug 2009 13:53:45 =======
Hi Applecar,



I'm also literature based and started last October. I want to say firstly that it sounds as if you're doing really well. I have almost the opposite problem to you- I've written quite a lot but haven't got any 'outside' activities planned, like teaching or conference organization. That's starting to panic me! So at least you are being pro-active and have plenty going on.

Writing those first few tentative chapters can be so hard. You're probably still trying to get your head around exactly what your opinions are- or what your 'thesis' is. If you're anything like me you'll also be tackling a lot of theory at this point as you try to formulate these ideas. That can make everything feel woolly and vague.

The thing is, you have to go through the crappy first drafts to end up with anything of substance. Chapters don't leap from anyone's mind fully formed. It's a process of craft more than anything. I am on version 5 of a chapter I started last year! I can't remember what version 1 was like but I imagine it was pretty awful!

What is your agreement with your supervisor? Is he planning to read and comment on these successive drafts? That's how I have gone about things anyway and it's worked. How about giving yourself a deadline of a couple of weeks, but I'd say no more than 3 as you say you've already spent quite a while working on it, and just getting everything down on paper. Explain to him that it will be very rough and probably full of errors, but at least you'll have something to start working with. Take any comments he makes on board and then start the whole process again...eventually you'll end up with something you're semi-happy with!

Have to reccomend a book often talked about on here- 'Writing your dissertation in 15 minutes a day' by Joan (or Jean?!) Bolker. It talks about the need to produce these 'messy' first drafts. It's an absolute lifesaver.

ETA: Just realized you said your supervisor is busy and you feel like you can't 'bother' him. I would say you need to sort this out firstly. Ask him what he is willing to look at and when. It might be he only wants to see decent drafts, in which case you would have to work towards that. But you must establish these boundaries.

Good luck (up)

Hello all,

I hope somebody can help me with this. I am mainly looking at early modern literature but there are a couple of medieval manuscripts I would very much like to look at. I know one of them is definitely at the British Library but for the life of me I can't find it in any of the catalogues. I want to put in a request so that I can go down to London and look at it in a couple of weeks.
I realise this a very specific and perhaps stupid request but I'm not sure who else to ask. I actually went to an open day at the BL which taught us about this kind of thing and I'm still not the wiser.
Huge thanks to anyone who can help me out!

A very uplifting thread indeed.

Wednesday: I imagine myself in a house piled high to the rafters with books; a dusty old academic but with a fun-filled life behind me.I will have spent my life studying the one thing I have always had a talent for and the thing I love: literature. I will have hopefully published a couple of academic texts and maybe even a couple of not-so academic novels. I will have travelled, and painted. I will have lots of good friends and a happy family around me.

Hi Lara,

Thanks for taking the time to post all that and I think I'm going to give it a try!

Monday: thanksgiving

1. Seeing my little brother who has come up to stay for the week.
2. Meeting a nice young man : )
3. Getting positive feedback on a chapter I was terrified about.

Tuesday: terrific times.

The one that springs to mind is also a concert. It was very recently actually. I saw Florence and the Machine at Oxegen festival. She's quite new but I have been obsessed with her music for a good few months now. I remember being in the tent waiting to see her and it was absolutely rammed, which was weird because she's not very well known and there were some big bands playing at the same time elsewhere. When she came on the whole crowd sang along to every word. I got up on my friend's shoulders to watch her. It was such a moment: this young woman on the cusp of making it big and us all there who had been touched by her music.

(up)

I am joining this thread if nobody objects!

Got a chapter draft due in tomorrow which...isn't going to happen. There's so much to do that there's no way I can get it finished but I feel so bad I'm going to make myself stay up and do as much as I can anyway. So angry at myself, I just could not get motivated to do the work until now : (

Anybody about?