Teaching in the IEP

This afternoon is my first day back in the Intensive English Program after taking a break for one session while Eric was teaching his Intro to Linguistics course. This session, I'll be teaching three courses: basic level grammar, basic level communication, and level three communication. Each session is seven weeks and there are six sessions throughout the year: two in the spring semester, two in the summer, and two in the fall, and we're just beginning Summer II. The IEP somewhat follows the general schedule of IU's collegiate calendar, but with these divisions in the middle of semesters. So it looks like my life from now on will be measured by seven-week sessions! Pretty much every session will be different, especially for me since I'm a "newbie" in the department and get the classes that the more experienced teachers don't want. So my schedule will most likely change from session to session, which is kind of nice for me because it will provide me with a wide range of experiences and levels. Hooray for boosting the resume'!

At any rate, I'm excited about the upcoming session, as well as the next year or so as I get my feet wet in institutional teaching. I'll be phasing out my tutoring students, which basically means that as some of them leave at the end of the summer to return to their native countries, I won't be replacing them with new students like I usually do. Eventually, my main focus will be my teaching in the IEP, which will provide me with more time to spend at home (which means less time for Ian at the babysitter's!).

It's amazing how God has worked this all out. The way things have fallen into place with my career is certainly not because of my brilliant planning. Sure, I've worked hard, but God surely deserves the credit for working things out so beautifully and in just the manner that our family needed. Thanks, Lord!