And suddenly the nerves hit.
It’s half an hour or so until I leave to teach the first class of a new Philosophy Adult Education Evening Course at the local Community Centre.
Last year I ran an Introduction to Philosophy course; then in the New Year I ran an Introduction to Moral Philosophy course. Both these courses are ones I’d created and run several years ago, before we moved to SW Scotland. However, most of the people who’ve been through these courses wanted another, so I agreed to run one this autumn called “The Great Philosophers”
I panicked a bit last week as I realised I only had 10 days before the class started and I hadn’t written any notes.
At the beginning of this week I got into my stride and felt damn pleased with myself for producing some excellent notes on the Pre-Socratics for the first class.
All week long, Maggie’s been asking me if I’m nervous about Thursday evening and the truth is I haven’t been.
Even earlier today she told me she was getting nervous for me, but I’ve just been tootling along, calm and serene, putting the last bits in place.
Then, tonight, while eating dinner I suddenly realised I was wolfing my food down while feeling jumpy and agitated, my mind racing with whether I had all the bits and pieces I need, and all the things that could go wrong.
Not least of which is my concern about whether I’ll have the energy to keep everyone interested and focused for 2 hours.
I can see myself requiring an extra strong cup of coffee at the mid-session break.
20 minutes to go. Better make sure I’ve packed the coffee
.
Last year I ran an Introduction to Philosophy course; then in the New Year I ran an Introduction to Moral Philosophy course. Both these courses are ones I’d created and run several years ago, before we moved to SW Scotland. However, most of the people who’ve been through these courses wanted another, so I agreed to run one this autumn called “The Great Philosophers”
I panicked a bit last week as I realised I only had 10 days before the class started and I hadn’t written any notes.
At the beginning of this week I got into my stride and felt damn pleased with myself for producing some excellent notes on the Pre-Socratics for the first class.
All week long, Maggie’s been asking me if I’m nervous about Thursday evening and the truth is I haven’t been.
Even earlier today she told me she was getting nervous for me, but I’ve just been tootling along, calm and serene, putting the last bits in place.
Then, tonight, while eating dinner I suddenly realised I was wolfing my food down while feeling jumpy and agitated, my mind racing with whether I had all the bits and pieces I need, and all the things that could go wrong.
Not least of which is my concern about whether I’ll have the energy to keep everyone interested and focused for 2 hours.
I can see myself requiring an extra strong cup of coffee at the mid-session break.
20 minutes to go. Better make sure I’ve packed the coffee
.
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