First Day of Classes, Again

Pretty light day---only one out of my three classes and office hours that were unattended.  Tomorrow is full so I spent a good deal of time preparing for it and doing paperwork for students wishing to enter closed sections.

I do feel a weight with the end of Break, that my life will be very strictly scheduled for the next three months.  On the other hand my mind is sharper with the adrenalin.  It has been so hard to focus since December final exams.

Always a trade-off.

Teaching an Overload

Well, in my nearly last act as department chair I am assigning myself an overload.  I jumped through all sorts of hoops to make sure that I was clear ethically, since it means more pay for myself.  But it is a class that only a handful of faculty can teach, none had classes to trade off, none wanted to take on the overload except for myself.

I will like having more money with a child getting braces.  It is more work, but I really do like teaching, far better than the chair administrivia.  I think that i will enjoy it.  I also think that I will lose more sleep.  Sigh.

Staffing

After preregistration I had five sections for the Spring without instructors.  I was busy dealing with an adjunct who had angered all of his students and didn't address it until December.

Two faculty on maternity leave, and one adjunct not coming back, with three sections added at preregistration.  What a mess.

It's been hanging over my head, through our Christmas travels, through a math conference out of town.  This should be the last time that it is my responsibility, and I will not miss it.  Staffing has hung over my breaks and vacations for over half my time at the university.

It's always worked out, but every new hire is a risk.  We've had very bad experiences these past three years.  The ones who have stayed have been good.

I'm mentally drained.  Glad that it seems to be resolving.

End of the Calendar Year

For some strange reason, totally like past years, I find myself mentally drained and unable to perform even the simplest tasks.  So very unsurprising.

Apologizing for Others

The title's not strictly true, but I feel as if I should apologize for the poor teaching by one of our adjuncts.  We (a colleague and I) worked with him over the semester once the student complaints started snowballing.  I put off thinking about it but the first (only?) parental complaint came in, going to the Provost after me.

I want all of our classes to be at least good if not excellent.  This is the third Fall semester in a row where that has not been true.

I could always have spent more time working with the instructor.  That shouldn't be the gauge of my success or failure;  it's not effort that counts here.

Hard to shed the feeling of guilt.

First Saturday in December

Everything is scheduled for the first Saturday of December, because there's nothing else going on that day. Student presentations, Scout camping trip, Messiah sing-a-long, choir concert.

Busy time.  Trying to focus on the things that need to be done, worrying about what remains undone.

Every year about this time the same thing---

Still Even Less Sleep

Still alive and sort of functioning.  Too many nights of five hours or less of sleep.  Having trouble thinking clearly. Able to do complicated tasks that I've done often enough to become reflexive.  Too much work.  Not much play at all.  Jeff very dull boy.