Today was my first teaching experience at UCLA. I have taught in a variety of contexts before, but being a TA at UCLA is a different beast. This is the first time I actually created my own syllabus for a course. When I told the other TA’s that mine was six pages, they gasped. The students didn’t seem to mind, though. At least they didn’t express it. I let them know the reason my syllabus was longer was because I wanted to give them more specific guidance with the assignments, not because I’m requiring more of them.

So, here are my two main learning experiences from the first day.

1. As it was my first syllabus creation, it was also my first time going over a syllabus in class. Lesson: man, going over the syllabus is boring. One student put her head down on the desk and apparently slept through it. It has me wondering whether it really is the best way to begin a class. I did start out with introductions (students interviewed one another and introduced their partners to the class) and it seemed to really get some good discussion going. Then, the syllabus. Totally different tone. It’s hard to have fun with it, especially on those times when I have to “lay down the law”. I really wanted to start the class off with a feeling of jovial camaraderie, but the syllabus is such a downer. Part of the problem is I just hate hearing myself talk for so long.
2. Second lesson: UCLA students are smart. The second half of the class session, we read together a portion from The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas (chapter ten — the vision in the arena “suddenly I was a man!”). They broke into pairs to discuss the text together and then reported to the rest of the class. The discussion flew! I was astounded at the insights that the students brought up about gender roles, the redefinition of victory, symbolism in the text, social expectations, etc. Things I hadn’t thought of. A few students banded together with some information from Greek mythology to answer another student’s question about the branch of golden apples (I didn’t have an answer ready). Saying that I look forward to learning from them is no mere token! I really do!

I might change a few things about my approach on Friday, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get around the syllabus then either. I could do the Perpetua discussion first, but then we end the class (and the week!) with a reading of the syllabus and a monologue from me about the rules of the course. Blah, blah, blah . . . have an exciting weekend! Probably best to get it out of the way. Maybe we could put on some background music. Since we’re getting down to “business,” would it be completely inappropriate to play “Business Time” by Flight of the Conchords? Probably. Oh yeah. That’s right, baby. It’s business time . . .

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGOohBytKTU]

Do you have any advice about making syllabus review more fun in a way that isn’t inappropriate?