Getting things settled before the fall
This year I've volunteered to be an international student mentor (ISM), which means a few things for the coming days. Tomorrow I'll spend all day putting together handouts to help students figure out how to do relatively mundane, but necessary errands. Things like U.S. banking, grocery shopping, getting a driver's license, renter's insurance, etc. will all be discussed in the handout. Many of these things we take forgranted, but students that come from vastly different cultures have no idea how to go about doing some of these things. Friday I'll spend all day in training, attending sessions dealing with cultural sensitivity, etc.
Next Monday and Tuesday are international student orientation days. These sessions can be pretty intense. Thousands of college age kids excited to be in a new cultural environment, eager to learn how to be an Aggie, but completely lost when it comes to doing day-to-day things in the States. I remember last year for me. Even coming from Canada--which is relatively similar to the United States compared to some of the places these kids come from--our first few weeks here were bewildering. It took us a while to get some of the logistical stuff sorted out. I can't imagine how overwhelming the experience must be for someone coming from East Asia or Central Africa. (Maybe it's not that overwhelming... I'm just speculating.) Anyway, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help some kids get settled in and adjust to Texas before they get hit with school work, in addition to meeting some interesting characters from around the world. Should be a fun time!
After my ISM duties are over, it'll be time to start thinking about teaching for the fall. I just got an email from the prof I'll be working for, discussing the course syllabus, class schedule, teaching responsibilities. I'm doing Intro to Philosophy this year. I'll have three sections with a total of 75 students. I'm not sure how to think about it yet. I'll let you know in a few weeks.
Next Monday and Tuesday are international student orientation days. These sessions can be pretty intense. Thousands of college age kids excited to be in a new cultural environment, eager to learn how to be an Aggie, but completely lost when it comes to doing day-to-day things in the States. I remember last year for me. Even coming from Canada--which is relatively similar to the United States compared to some of the places these kids come from--our first few weeks here were bewildering. It took us a while to get some of the logistical stuff sorted out. I can't imagine how overwhelming the experience must be for someone coming from East Asia or Central Africa. (Maybe it's not that overwhelming... I'm just speculating.) Anyway, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help some kids get settled in and adjust to Texas before they get hit with school work, in addition to meeting some interesting characters from around the world. Should be a fun time!
After my ISM duties are over, it'll be time to start thinking about teaching for the fall. I just got an email from the prof I'll be working for, discussing the course syllabus, class schedule, teaching responsibilities. I'm doing Intro to Philosophy this year. I'll have three sections with a total of 75 students. I'm not sure how to think about it yet. I'll let you know in a few weeks.
posted by David Wiens at 9:12 p.m.
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