joys of teaching

So far I have spent the beginning of this semester in a front of a computer playing tag with my students, trying to stay one step ahead of them. No matter how much work I put into preparing my lectures, there are always six more to give next week. An endless cycle in a making, but I digress.

This semester I have also seen an increase in student email. Clueless questions varying form "How come you don't have text book listed on the textbook ordering site?" (because I don't require one, honey) to "Where is the Art department located anyways?" (I dunno, maybe looking at a campus map would help). Yesterday's in-class exchange was priceless though. One of the classes I am teaching is called 2-dimensional design, a beginning art class about design elements and composition. After giving a lecture (Intro to composition, art and life or something equally lofty) I am going around, helping each student to do their in-class assignment. Halfway, I reach one them, carefully crafting his name in the tiny print on the middle of the paper. The drawing itself is good, but I raise the issue of paper size and urge him to reconsider the placement and size of his text. He looks at me, confused, and asks: "You mean that this class is about composition?"

I don't know what he thought 2D design was going to be. Maybe I should have asked.