Update

I realized that I hadn't updated this blog in quite some time, so here goes. I am most of the way through my first semester teaching math at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. I am teaching college algebra and survey of calculus, both classes designed for those who do not major in mathematics, so it has been a challenge, but so far, it has been a rewarding one.

The one aspect of the job that makes meeting this challenge (and any others that come my way) seem possible is the rest of my department. There are a lot of people here who are very enthusiastic about teaching and who are incredibly supportive. It starts with the head of our department; having an office next to his has made my first year go incredibly smoothly so far. Plus, I get to hear some very heated conversations; one of the side effects of having a passionate department is that people do not always agree! But this is in fact a good thing. To quote one of the greatest television shows of all time, Sports Night, "If you are dumb, surround yourself with smart people, and if you are smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you." As has been pointed out to me, it is not clear whether I am the dumb person surrounded by smart people or the smart person surrounded by smart people who disagree with him, but either way, having these smart people around me is a fantastic thing!

This is not to say everything is perfect. If it were, they wouldn't pay me to do it. The students often come here without a lot of math in their backgrounds, and at times they can seem infuriatingly ignorant and apathetic towards the subject. And this in turn causes the faculty (myself included) to often be overly negative. But that is what happens when you are a growing school with open admissions, and we can go a long way towards helping the growth process. For example, I had the opportunity to help write syllabi for two discrete math courses. There are very few places where someone with my level of experience would even be an assistant professor, let alone have a say in what is taught.

This is a new and exciting time in my life, and it is my goal to make the most of it!!