Day one...

This morning went well enough. Long story short: going into this quarter hasn't been a priority of mine these past few days, so I went into the day thinking  I probably wouldn't keep them long. When I walked into the class, I wasn't nervous. I felt all of their eyes on me as I walked to the computer, and I felt slightly awkward because a couple students giggled, but nobody said a word. They just sat and stared at me as if I were crazy for turning on the computer and dropping my backpack on the professor's table. A few of them shuffled in their seats awkwardly for half a minute before they got up and walked across the room to whisper "Are you professor Johnson?" ... Yes, that's who I am. It's time to take on that role. I had 5 students ask if they could add, and I had them write down their names, SIDs, and e-mail addresses so that I could get a hold of them after I discuss the matter with supervisors.

My kids had fairly high energy. One of them was in my French class last quarter (odd). One of them shamelessly showered me with compliments (even more odd). One of them plays the banjo and knows how to pick locks (amusing)... We broke the ice, went over the syllabus, and I asked who had the books. Only 2 people raised their hands, so I asked if they'd like to stay for another hour and work, or if they'd ---- I didn't even get to finish giving them the alternative; it was a resounding "YES!". I gave them homework, and told them to be prepared to have discussion on Thursday.

First impression: it's going to be an interesting quarter.