Wednesday, 03.12.2014 - 7:28 pm.
I'm a professor! Today I had my first class at the university. It went well, I think. I had 45 students who were a little giggly about my foreign accent at first (there are many ways to speak spanish, you know) but it's a very nice bunch, if we rely on first impressions.
I was nervous but not as much as I thought I'd be. I babbled at first but then I gained confidence. Perhaps my presentation was a little repetitive (I realized this as I was going through it) but hopefully it was clear and even motivational, about one's responsibility as a psychologist and a scientist and stuff.
My biggest problem so far is time: I took too little time. I must let students speak and work more during class.
I've been an instructor, I was a helper to various professors (including good old W, my mentor) for years when I was an undergraduate student. I tried to think about that to calm my nerves. "Meh, I've done this before". And it did feel that way, so my nervousness came mostly from facing a group of strangers for the first time and not from self-doubt.
Anyway, just checking in quickly to mention this (nevermind that my home country is falling apart due to the presidential election). This is kind of like a milestone in my life. Cheers!
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