The first day of class (Fall 2026) (#1430)

Topics/tags: Teaching

Last Friday was my first day of class for Fall 2026. Why have I waited nearly a week to write about it? Mostly, I haven’t had time. I didn’t quite finish class prep for the fall, so I spent the weekend and this Tuesday revising readings, labs, and even the syllabus. I also went out to a show one night and took some time to celebrate Michelle and my 39th anniversary [1].

I love the first day of class, particularly when I’m teaching CSC-151, our introductory course. Why? Most importantly, I get to do the Peanut Butter and Jelly Algorithm exercise [2]. It appears that I take the clueless professor persona a bit further than most. One of the most extreme examples, which I’ll never repeat, happened when students who should have known better told me to open the jar, and involved me hitting it against the side of the table. Students laugh. They learn a bit about the values of precise language. They learn that they solve problems together. They learn to test algorithms as they go. And when things go wrong in the future, I can remind them about the first day and suggest that they remember the laughter.

Even after thirty years, I always try to pack too much into the first day of class [3]. We used to do a What is computer science exercise that began with us unpacking the name of the discipline. What is science? What is a computer? Do you think computer scientists study computers using the scientific method? But that takes a lot of time. These days, I just tell them that computer science is the study of algorithms and data structures. Of course, I break it down a bit. I also tell them that computer scientists have a responsibility to think about the social and ethical implications of the algorithms and data structures they build. This year, I felt compelled to say, I’m sorry that too many computer scientists have ignored those responsibilities.

In the past, I’ve also done a somewhat extensive get to know each other exercise, which often devolves into an exercise in dad jokes. This year, I moved most of the exercise to the second day of class and made fewer jokes.

Even with those changes, there still wasn’t time to get fully through the algorithm and the corresponding debrief. I suppose that’s okay. We got through a lot. And, as I said, they learned important things about algorithm design.

Teaching energizes me, so I had a lot of fun. Of course, I keep forgetting that at heart, I’m an introvert, so all the interaction with people wears me out. Doing the PB&J exercise three times in one day is also taxing [4]; fun, but taxing. I was worn out by the time I finished. Happy, but exhausted.

I love my job.

Now I have to learn the names of all 72 awesome students.

Postscript: I have other things to write about teaching CSC-151 this semester; however, they belong in another musing.

[1] Is celebrate the right word? Perhaps observe, as one observes a religious occasion.

[2] More accurately, the some kind of spread and some kind of fruit spread sandwich algorithm.

[3] Evidence suggests that I try to pack too much into every day of class.

[4] That’s right, I’m teaching three sections of the introductory course.

Version 1.0 of 2026-09-02.