- I have a class this quarter that is being offered for the first time since it was put in the catalog this past fall.
- What that equates to for me is:
- Creating a syllabus and course outline from scratch
- Coming up with lecture material for ten weeks of classes
- Creating projects for the material to be covered
- This new class is a sort of expansion on another class I teach so I had to shuffle & supplement lecture material and projects in the existing class—also on the schedule this quarter.
- I've changed the main book for the third class I'm teaching this quarter and added another text for the class. As a result I had to figure out what I want the students to read from both texts and the assignments that accompany the readings.
- Then I have two more classes—for a total of 5—to do basic prep work for (changing dates on syllabi and projects, etc.).
- Oh, and I'm having a baby sometime around the next 4 weeks or so.
- Which means:
- I'll be leaving sometime in the middle of the quarter. Not exactly sure when. I'm full term in just 12 days and could go into labor anytime.
- Someone has to take over for me—which is already set up.
- I have to have every bit of each class planned and ready to go for the next ten weeks now so I can give the other instructors all the material this week.
- Now, I do have everything planned before the class starts, but I usually will just make a bulleted list of things I want to cover and print and make copies as the quarter progresses. This just puts the pressure on me to do it now, now, now.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
all work and no play...
The new quarter starts on Tuesday and due to my incredible knack for procrastinating, I've been doing prep work all weekend. I'm not done yet and will undoubtably be doing stuff up through tomorrow evening. Usually my prep work is simple and I'd be done by now, but this quarter is special and proving to be a lot of work for a few reasons.
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8 comments:
You could pretend to go into labor tonight, and then dodget heir phone calls for the entire rest of the term.
I like cookies' idea.
Ha ha, I was just going to say I like Cookie's idea too. 3 for 3, what do you think Pixie? Or, you can say you need to be on bed rest.
No, no, I like my job too much and I need all the money I can get before leave starts. I do get leave pay but it's not 100% and babies aren't cheap.
I'm sorry. That sounds dreadful.
But, wow, college courses from the instructor's perspective. I had no idea. Now I'm regretting alot of mental meanness I thought about some of my former professors. Especially the part where you're forced to buy certain books that the bookstore later won't buy back because the class isn't using them anymore after you...
Jen—With regards to the books—I feel you on not getting money back on the resale (or only getting a dollar or two back on an eighty dollar book). Unfortunately, sometimes the current editions aren't up to par and have to be changed or they come out with new editions that have better information and we can no longer get the old editions. The good thing about the books in my classes is that they are often full of such good info that you wouldn't want to sell them back. I also use a few of the books in multiple classes so you don't have to buy them more than once if you hang on to them (which I always let my students know up front which ones to definately hang on to).
Maybe you should plan your next baby for winter break or summer time? Assuming you want more than one, that is. :)
Lynda—Winter break is two weeks right at the holidays (not an ideal time in my opinion). I teach in the summer too and my break then is four weeks. So, regardless of when the baby is due, I'm bound to be dipping into a quarter somehow for my maternity leave. That's one reason I'll have to go back to work so soon—Summer quarter starts May 14th. That's just about 6 weeks after my due date. No slacking off here.
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