Work

I've been wanting to post to the blog more often, but I am crazy busy with work. Also, my camera died so no photos to post either. Right now I am at work in my office for office hours. I'm supposed to be writing lectures, but I am fighting burnout so I am going to write this instead.

I really like teaching, but it is so much work. It's not a 9 to 5 job. I teach 4 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two of them are the same so I have 3 different classes. Each class meets 1 hour and 15 minutes. This means that I am writing six different 1 hour and 15 minute long speeches every week - coming from someone who struggled to write a 20 minute speech in college if required for a class. I'd spend a week or more working on that 20 minute speech, practicing it over and over again to get it just right and usually would end up talking too fast or forgetting parts and wind up with a much too short speech. Now, I have to fill up five hours of talking time twice a week - ten hours total. I write most every night after Penny goes to sleep. I write during her naps. I write during my office hours on Monday and Wednesday. Sometimes I write my lectures right before class over my lunch break (and sometimes it shows). I also am teaching an online class that adds to the workload.

Add to that that we moved in to our new house the day before the first day of classes. All of the myriad things that need doing day to day in an established household are challenging for me under normal circumstances. Housework, plus unpacking and painting and etc, etc. It's overwhelming sometimes.

Tray is wonderful though and I am so glad that we have each other to get through the craziness. He's really great about helping me to step back and just enjoy things too because I definitely have a tendency to stay wrapped up like a stress ball.

And teaching really is worth it. The grades on all my first tests were not that great, which was disappointing (and much lower than the grades I used to get teaching at FSU). But, students are starting to come out of their shells and ask questions and stay after class to talk about things. With excitement in their voices! In my 230 class yesterday, students actually engaged in discussion about structural adjustment programs in South America. With each other. During class. I was like, yes! This is what college should be like. There are definitely a lot of challenges, but also glimmers of good stuff.

I am so grateful for the job and the opportunity especially in today's economy. And hopefully things will get a little easier as they go on.

Now, back to writing lectures. And writing a presentation for a conference in November. It only has to be 15 minutes. Should be a piece of cake. :)