...just when will I realize it?
There's a rhythm to academia. Fall to spring, summer, fall to spring. You don't really notice it so much when you first come to teaching from the world, but it is a comfortable pace from educational days that reasserts itself once one is back within the environment. For some reason this year I am decidedly out of step.
Its not a problem thing though. So far classes haven't been effected. The actual teaching of classes is one of the easiest and most comfortable parts of my gig. Its everything else that is off kilter. All the meetings and organization that surround the actual teaching. For several weeks now that stuff has been piling up on a counter in my office while I blissfully pretend it isn't there. Would that it were true.
That will all come to end soon. It has to. Without attention the pile would just become to tall and unstable and some campus person would come and condemn my office. We can't have that. Besides, a large portion of the pile is now homework.
Do you know the worst part about homework?
If you give homework, you have to grade it.
So far in my time teaching I can't remember a time where I have not given an assignment I thought was appropriate because I didn't want to have to grade it. I could see how that could happen though. So the last couple of days I have been welcomed to my office by 26 organizational charts, 26 bid sheets, 4 show breakdowns, and 4 show estimates. All of which there are students anxiously waiting for.
Remember the Seinfeld when Newman was talking about the mail, and why postmen go insane?
"Because the mail never stops. It just keeps coming and coming and coming, there's never a let-up. It's relentless. Every day it piles up more and more and more! And you gotta get it out but the more you get it out the more it keeps coming in. And then the bar code reader breaks and it's Publisher's Clearing House day!"
Often, I feel the same way about homework.
Well, hopefully plowing through a pile of work will help me get my year kick started, learn the names, set up the grade spreadsheet, just get going. If not, well it will be like I told the thesis class today: if you don't pay attention the year will be over and you will have missed it. And then there will be a summer, and a fall and spring...
Friday, September 24, 2004
School started weeks ago...
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1 comment:
my boyfriend, who is a high school teacher, is of 2 minds when assigning papers. he thinks they're essential for a good education, but frankly the district doesn't pay him enough for all the work he'll have to do if he assigns them. but if he cuts back on the # of papers assigned, he'd be compromising his professional integrity. but then again, he'd like a life, and he does alot of work for 50k a year at 60 hours a week, which is more work and less $ compared to ceos and school administrators. it's not fair at all.
and btw--any thoughts on allen iverson and that new coach jim o'brien? any chance that you would publish your thoughts on the breakdown of the eastern conference? i did my part with the western conference.
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