I've been at FIU for a grand total of 14 days, and I'm already impressed with the students coming through here - hard working, attentive, and energetic. It's difficult to find coherent take-aways after just one week of teaching, and it's doubly hard to do that sort of reflection after the rushing energy of week 1, but I'm going to try to record my most salient thoughts.
1) I was advised early on that there may be some language difficulties here as it is a leading HSI / HSU, and most students speak English as a second language. In my experience, however, my students are overwhelmingly able to understand me, and I them. Whenever there *is* a communication breakdown, they have been quick to ask for clarification and to meet me in the middle. I owe it to them to learn Spanish, and will be redoubling my efforts.
2) I'm still learning my way around this campus, but it is becoming familiar. My "dead reckoning" is a bit off as I have on more than one occasion assumed I was exiting, say, an east-facing door only to pop up in the north, but I'm working on it.
3) Teaching a hybrid course (three this semester in fact) is not without its own challenges, which I am learning to navigate. The biggest issue has been coming up with online content worthy of replacing in-class discussion. I will continue to refine this.
All in all, I'm very happy to be at FIU, and I'm looking forward to the challenges this institution will present.
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