OMG! What Have I Done?

I've been hired to teach LS 415, Organization of Information, at Simmons GSLIS-west beginning in the spring semester. My first class is January 29 - a mere two months away. I've signed all of the paperwork and am now receiving emails about ordering textbooks and putting books on reserve.

What have I gotten myself into? I've taught before - for many years - but never at this level. I'm starting to have nightmares. How will I do this? Rather, how will I do this well? I don't want to shortchange the students; they've paid a lot of money to take this course. And I certainly don't want to embarrass myself.

I know I'll have a lot of support from the GSLIS office and from the people who have taught this course before me. Still, it's scary.

For years I've been doing a lot of cruising. I've been a cataloger for a very long time and I have a lot of experience. I know what I'm doing. But sometimes I have to stretch like when I began working on the Digital Treasures project with C/W MARS. I learned Dublin Core, not only well enough to use it, but also well enough to teach it. That was a stretch, but nothing like what I'll be doing for Simmons.

I can be pretty lazy, but if I want to teach this course and do a good job I'm going to have to get serious. I've been very good these last few months exercising my body and getting it into much better shape. Now it's time to banish those ANTs and exercise my mind.

Things for which to be grateful:
1. I'll get to learn how to use Moodle;
2. I'll meet lots of new and interesting people;
3. I'll be working on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country;
4. I'll be receiving a steady income (although not enough to live on);
5. I'll have more structure in my life (something I actually miss).

I have a great opportunity ahead of me. OMG!