Getting ready for the start of (my) school year

Being a college professor definitely has its perks:  pretty flexible hours (I can schedule dr.'s appointments and the like around my teaching schedule), good holiday time off, plus the summer "off" (from teaching at least) (unless you teach summer classes - but then you get extra pay), great colleagues and great students (most of the time).  Of course, with all of this, especially the flexible hours, can come some downfall - lots of work to do at home at times (or always feeling you should be doing something), feeling like you can't call in sick (no one can cover my classes or they won't do a "good enough" job).

But I love the start of my school year - getting to teach some new students as well as some I've had before in other classes.  I love getting to share my love of statistics with the students and hope that if nothing else, they will at least walk out of my class not loathing it and possibly appreciating it.

So right now as I prepare for the new school year, I get to help prepare other instructors for one of our classes, get to meet with some students and get to know them and what they want out of school.

Even though everything I need for school is technically supplied for me, there are some particular things that I prefer to use:

1.  TI-84 Plus Silver Edition calculator (this is what I refer to as the "stats" calculator).  It doesn't integrate or anything, but it is well equipped for what I need in my classes.

2.  Pilot G2 pens - these are so smooth when you right, they are refillable and the come in lots of colors!

3.  San Cruzer flash drives - these definitely hold the amount that they say and this brand has never let me down yet (unlike some others...)

Classes start next Monday...time to get prepared!