Saturday, December 10, 2005
Saturday
So, it's the last Saturday morning of the semester. Finals are next week.
I'm ahead of the game as far as Christmas . . . . almost. Most of the Christmas cards are in the mail and my homemade Christmas goodies are delivered (lemon ginger cookies, anise cookies, peanut clusters, cinnamon candy, fruitcake cookies, and white chocolate pretzels rods with sprinkles) - all before the month hit double digits. The Christmas decorations are half done. Last year in an initial effort to declutter the house, I moved the Christmas decorations into storage bins in the garage so that they no longer almost completely filled the guest room drawers and closet. It has worked much better - esp. as I only have to pull out one storage bin at a time. Next year, I will put the Christmas (not holiday!) tree lights on the top instead of the bottom - but that is an easy lesson learned.
I finished a proposal that relates to my almost-approved sabbatical and I need to expand on that. But, first, I need to do course prep for the spring semester AFTER I finish grading for this semester. I'm finding students expect more accommodations and I'm less willing to give it. We all make choices in life and, except for personal emergencies (and that's not sleeping through class), I'm less likely to accommodate. My last sabbatical was more freedom from a sticky political situation on campus that has since resolved itself. We are eligible for sabbatical each seven years but I am jealous of those that are able to do so every five years. I've been so busy with grant work (that has helped us keep our master's program) that it will be nice to be able to have more control of my schedule (something academics prize above all else sometimes) and, thus, be more productive. Having to be on campus for middle of the day meetings that really don't accomplish much drives me absolutely insane - especially when there's nothing wrong with later in the day where your day is not cut in half.
My classes are basically full for next semester - which is a good thing except for those students begging to get in. I feel less sympathy when they are asking 6 weeks after pre-enrollment. Budget cuts mean we can't always offer things as conveniently for them. I'm speaking as a professor with a 12-hour load and can't imagine what it's like for students to "manage" where professors teaching a 3- or 6-hour load each semester and, thus, aren't offering the same classes quite so often.
Last December was much busier and, although I enjoyed the trip to New York City last year that coincides with this upcoming week, I will be glad to be here. There is a little bit of our first snow left but next week the farm will be more enjoyable once I don't have to worry about staying inside to protect myself from deer season (or should I say the irresponsible hunters that shoot at anything that moves - even if it is near a house).
Today I'm going to tackle cleaning the office of clutter. I have several shelves of papers (primarily of things I just had to save off of the internet - I think I quit bookmarking about 3 years ago because my bookmark list was way too long) that I just need to sit and go through. I need full days like a Saturday ahead of me or else I end up misplacing important pieces of papers like bills than then chart late fees even when you pay ahead several times each year. (That credit thing should count both ways, BTW)
I have a short article to finish and others I need to start. Returning to more regularly blogging should also help result in articles to submit. I'm too busy doing and need to take more time to write to get my name out there a bit more. And, when you're not distracted with a million others things you have to do, writing is actually quite fun (note I'm writing this more than a decade after my dissertation was finished). I am also looking forward to some non-rushed work time to prepare spring classes. The summers are just too full with grant workshops to have any real dedicated time since my mind is in gear for preparing materials for teachers.
Shortly after coming to this institution, I wondered "what in the world will I do to keep busy after I go through my first few course preps?" First, I'm constantly tweaking and the advent of Blackboard keeps that tweaking constant in a variety of ways and not just improving lecture notes and updating assignments. Secondly, it seems that the opportunities just keep presenting themselves. So, off I go for the day . . . .
I'm ahead of the game as far as Christmas . . . . almost. Most of the Christmas cards are in the mail and my homemade Christmas goodies are delivered (lemon ginger cookies, anise cookies, peanut clusters, cinnamon candy, fruitcake cookies, and white chocolate pretzels rods with sprinkles) - all before the month hit double digits. The Christmas decorations are half done. Last year in an initial effort to declutter the house, I moved the Christmas decorations into storage bins in the garage so that they no longer almost completely filled the guest room drawers and closet. It has worked much better - esp. as I only have to pull out one storage bin at a time. Next year, I will put the Christmas (not holiday!) tree lights on the top instead of the bottom - but that is an easy lesson learned.
I finished a proposal that relates to my almost-approved sabbatical and I need to expand on that. But, first, I need to do course prep for the spring semester AFTER I finish grading for this semester. I'm finding students expect more accommodations and I'm less willing to give it. We all make choices in life and, except for personal emergencies (and that's not sleeping through class), I'm less likely to accommodate. My last sabbatical was more freedom from a sticky political situation on campus that has since resolved itself. We are eligible for sabbatical each seven years but I am jealous of those that are able to do so every five years. I've been so busy with grant work (that has helped us keep our master's program) that it will be nice to be able to have more control of my schedule (something academics prize above all else sometimes) and, thus, be more productive. Having to be on campus for middle of the day meetings that really don't accomplish much drives me absolutely insane - especially when there's nothing wrong with later in the day where your day is not cut in half.
My classes are basically full for next semester - which is a good thing except for those students begging to get in. I feel less sympathy when they are asking 6 weeks after pre-enrollment. Budget cuts mean we can't always offer things as conveniently for them. I'm speaking as a professor with a 12-hour load and can't imagine what it's like for students to "manage" where professors teaching a 3- or 6-hour load each semester and, thus, aren't offering the same classes quite so often.
Last December was much busier and, although I enjoyed the trip to New York City last year that coincides with this upcoming week, I will be glad to be here. There is a little bit of our first snow left but next week the farm will be more enjoyable once I don't have to worry about staying inside to protect myself from deer season (or should I say the irresponsible hunters that shoot at anything that moves - even if it is near a house).
Today I'm going to tackle cleaning the office of clutter. I have several shelves of papers (primarily of things I just had to save off of the internet - I think I quit bookmarking about 3 years ago because my bookmark list was way too long) that I just need to sit and go through. I need full days like a Saturday ahead of me or else I end up misplacing important pieces of papers like bills than then chart late fees even when you pay ahead several times each year. (That credit thing should count both ways, BTW)
I have a short article to finish and others I need to start. Returning to more regularly blogging should also help result in articles to submit. I'm too busy doing and need to take more time to write to get my name out there a bit more. And, when you're not distracted with a million others things you have to do, writing is actually quite fun (note I'm writing this more than a decade after my dissertation was finished). I am also looking forward to some non-rushed work time to prepare spring classes. The summers are just too full with grant workshops to have any real dedicated time since my mind is in gear for preparing materials for teachers.
Shortly after coming to this institution, I wondered "what in the world will I do to keep busy after I go through my first few course preps?" First, I'm constantly tweaking and the advent of Blackboard keeps that tweaking constant in a variety of ways and not just improving lecture notes and updating assignments. Secondly, it seems that the opportunities just keep presenting themselves. So, off I go for the day . . . .
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"Budget cuts mean we can't always offer things as conveniently for them. I'm speaking as a professor with a 12-hour load and can't imagine what it's like for students to "manage" where professors teaching a 3- or 6-hour load each semester and, thus, aren't offering the same classes quite so often."
The departments with a different mix of teaching and research expectations have similar problems. It's likely that the same pattern of field courses from the same professors repeats from year to year. To the extent that department budgets are driven by enrollments, the lines for the courses ought to be available. To the extent that administrations are saving money by not replacing faculty, the pattern gets disrupted. But there aren't great differences in the expected time to completion for majors from the more-research-intensive to less-research-intensive universities.
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The departments with a different mix of teaching and research expectations have similar problems. It's likely that the same pattern of field courses from the same professors repeats from year to year. To the extent that department budgets are driven by enrollments, the lines for the courses ought to be available. To the extent that administrations are saving money by not replacing faculty, the pattern gets disrupted. But there aren't great differences in the expected time to completion for majors from the more-research-intensive to less-research-intensive universities.
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