live from the KU math department

So after some agonizing months I've finally decided to commit to an academic program after waffling around for what seems like to have been an interminable amount of time. Despite my previous apprehensions about doing graduate mathematics I am enroled in the KU graduate mathematics program. We'll see how this goes. Right now I'm telling myself that if I can at least get an MA here then I'll decide what to do next. Perhaps transfer to another program for a Ph.D. but I don't want to commit myself to that track either yet; who knows? i might find myself interested in some sort of applied mathematics in which case being here for the full PhD would be ok. I guess I've always been interested primarily in a pure mathematics mindset; but in the back of my mind I don't wonder if it isn't a bit too ivory tower for me to really flourish since I'm no math genius.

So I'm enroled in three classes and still waiting for my teaching assignment. Yes I forgot to mention that I have got a GTA appointment so I'll be getting a paycheck as well as not having to pay any tuition...that's nice. Teaching is going to be interesting. Probably have two sections of 35 students each for one class. In a way I'm glad they aren't telling us (GTAs) our teaching assignments until a few days before classes because I know I would be too tempted to start preparing right away and then I would have a warped view of the amount of time I'm going to have to prepare during the semester. I'm not so much worried about the act of teaching but it's all the administrative crap that one has to deal with. So far the math department has been really helpful. At the university-wide GTA/RA (research assistant) training conference yesterday there were a few grad students handing out small yellow flyers for a GTA/RA Union meeting sometime soon and on the flyer were certain statements "Did you know ...?" Wanting to get people involved in changing some of the stuff surrounding GTA's status/pay at the institution.