I can't remember the last time I taught a freshman class.  It must have been in the early 1990s, when I had just come back from my Master's degree. That means I haven't handled a freshman class in over a decade.  For the last few years, certainly since I obtained my PhD, I've been handling the graduate students and the upperclassmen.  Now I have three--count 'em!--freshman classes under my wing.  Wow, what a change.  Are the freshmen different?  Yes, very much so.

The freshmen are at best cautious at worse fearful.  They almost radiate insecurity.  No longer big fishes in small ponds, they are among people who are just as good if not better than they are.  Some try to assert themselves, to own the space around them by dropping names or throwing terms around, by being funny or fresh.  Others, the majority, are quiet.  They hang on to every word from the teacher's mouth.  They try to feel their way without making too many waves or drawing too much attention.  They find strength in numbers; a few, in solitude.

It's healthy to be a little afraid.  It's certainly better than being overconfident. Ultimately, though, and this is a bit of Star Trek wisdom, fear wants to be conquered.  They have to deal, and I'm sure most of them will.  And it's my job to help them. Yikes.