Category Archives: schedule

Schedule? What’s That?

Aside from my sleeping schedule, which is currently pretty much non existent, this last semester has somehow also deregulated my eating schedule. There were numerous days each week where, in between meetings, general office business, and teaching, I was forced to eat at off hours if I was going to eat at all.

Lunch was often at ten thirty in the morning, or if not, I would have to wait to eat until after class, when I would get home at eleven at night. Or, on days when it was a little more lenient, dinner was at four in the afternoon, or the same consequences would ensue. While I am generally good at going for prolonged periods of time without food, I can’t maintain this sort of thing over an entire semester. This became a regular thing, and pretty soon my entire body became accustomed to it.

The semester ended,  I have returned to my previous schedule, and since this is the week right before holiday break, there are no ridiculous meetings, but my body continues to insist on eating as it did before. By ten this morning I was already craving lunch, and having dinner at seven or eight seems like an eternity. And then at around eleven at night, when I used to just be getting home, I am hungry again for no reason.

It is not terrible, but very annoying. I am trying to force my body back into a normal schedule (who has lunch at 10:30 in the morning?), but I am sure that as soon as I do, it will be only a week or less before the semester begins again, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I will have to push it around once more. And who knows what that will entail….

P.S. There is a picture of ice cream for this post because that is what I had for lunch yesterday when I started writing this. Thought you should know.

Wordless Wednesday

This is very exciting. The schedule got updated, and my name is next to the classes I am teaching (one of them still says “Staff” but whatever). Also, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I am going to be at work until… late.
Balancing while I hold my breath so he doesn’t fall. Do you have any idea how much crying would be involved if he got hurt? And Ducky wouldn’t like it either.
Ducky with his hoard of lions.
Ally was making jello at daycare.
 

Drafing the Syllabus

I used to mock the overly extended syllabus – five to six pages of nonsense. And here I am creating one. In between all of the things I am required to include, meaning multiple college policies, and the things I wish to include, basically what the course will cover, I am up to to five pages.

I think such lengthy syllabuses are unnecessary, superfluous, and [insert a synonymous adjective in here].

After I am done outlining all sorts of objectives, prerequisites, and legal business, I get to the actual coursework. This is fine, but as I am breaking down the workload over a weekly schedule I find that this semester has entirely too many holidays. Unfortunately the class I am working on now falls on a Monday, which happens to be the day of the week that incurs the most breaks. In between Labor Day, Veterans’s Day and Thanksgiving (I know it is not on a Monday, but I suspect many will miss class), I will have to finagle everything in much less time than I originally intended.

I am also required to give at least one in-class lengthily writing assignment that I had not previously allotted time for. I chose a midterm as it is the least intrusive. As a student in English courses I very much disliked in-class finals, so I don’t think I want to impart that on anyone else.  I *thought* my Monday syllabus was all done, but I wasn’t taking into consideration the in-class assignment, so I have to move things around some more. I could in theory teach the day of the midterm, but again, as a student I absolutely hated it when the professor taught the same day as an in-class exam. My brain just didn’t want to deal with it. So back to planning.

This in-class writing business takes away another class period, and further shortens my teaching time. Mind you, I am not necessarily looking for extra teaching time. I swear I don’t actually like creating more work for myself. Really, I promise I don’t. What? Don’t look at me like that!

I just happened to pick a rather ambitious reading selection and I want to make sure my students actually understand the material before I send them on their merry way.  If they come out of this with nothing else, I want them to be able to briefly summarize the main points of these works, or at the very least adequately recognize the works should they be referenced elsewhere. Ideally I would like them to start questioning things they take for granted, and use the lessons from the book we are reading to further analyze their lives and surroundings. Some will do all of the above, others will do some, and some will do none. I understand.

After I manipulate the schedule around like a jigsaw puzzle, I have to include my disclaimer on plagiarism. I warn them they will earn a fail on the material plagiarized, and I will be obliged to inform the dean of students. I remind them that the entire process is exceedingly cumbersome on both our ends, so it would be in everyone’s favor if they simply refrain from doing it.

All of that took five pages. And I am exhausted.