We are definitely past due for an update so I'll try and hit some highlights !
When we got back and settled from an amazing Christmas break, things hit high gear VERY quickly. You see, one of Mikel's favorite qualities of mine is my penchant for procrastination. I always seem to get things done but have (on occasion) provided myself with a less than ideal amount of time in which to complete important tasks. This, in turn, creates a general panic inside of me that makes me a real gem to be around while I am rushing to finish tasks. Is this something I should do something about? Absolutely. Is Mikel holding his breath that it's going to change tomorrow? Absolutely not.
Because of the previously mentioned penchant for procrastination, I discovered that, in my class entitled Biomechanics, I was actually going to have to cover a good deal of anatomy. I did get an A in my anatomical foundations class in undergrad and have since utilized that knowledge in subsequent biomechanics, exercise physiology, and growth and motor development classes but I have NEVER claimed to be an expert in it nor have I ever been required to teach anatomy. I had the blissful opportunity to teach classes under the assumption that my students had previously taken and passed an anatomy class (regardless of how much they actually retained). You can imagine the panic when I discovered this gem on Saturday or Sunday night before class started on Monday.
Now, keep in mind that the University of Montana Western uses a block schedule system called Experience One. This means that our students only take one class at a time for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week and each class is over in 18 days. It is a fantastic system that serves as a great recruiting tool for me and definitely preserves the quality of life for our student-athletes. It provides a great learning environment on campus and provides for much more experiential, hands-on learning for out students. It's also great because over half of the year, I don't have to worry about teaching anything. What is does mean is that when the teaching begins it is GAME ON and you do not want to be behind. Nevertheless, I started behind.
The good news is, I survived the anatomy and settled in to the math and research portions a little more calmly. It has still been a lot of work but it's so much more comfortable teaching things that I think are interesting, 100% understand, and am not afraid of students asking questions about.
Besides that small inconvenience, teaching at Montana Western has been great. I love the class, the students are pretty great, and I am impressed by how hard they work and how little they complain! The class ends tomorrow and I CAN'T WAIT. It's been great but, because the winter is such a busy recruiting time for me, I am ready to be able to focus a little more on volleyball and not have to split time with teaching.
As for volleyball, it has been going great and we are hopefully getting close to signing our first recruits for next year. The team is probably working harder, top to bottom, than any college team I have been around and are so hungry to get better and have a fantastic season next year.
As for Mikel, he has had the opportunity to do a lot of fishing recently and he obviously loves that but that may change a little next week. Although it is my turn to take a block off and not teach next time, Mikel will be teaching a Foundations of Health and Human Performance class. Luckily for him and me, Mikel does not quite procrastinate like I do and will probably have things a little more under control than I managed!
