This semester I have five "last days" -- last Thursday was the first, the last day of classes at U#1. Yesterday, was the second one, last day of classes at U#2.
Today is the (first and) last day of exams for me at U#1 and I have two days of exams at U#2, this Thursday and next week on Thursday.
Yeah, this CRAZY semester of teaching is drawing to an end, as well as the insane four years of teaching at two universities. I am not at all sad about it all ending, except maybe for earning a bit less (2-3K), but I'll be doing LESS WORK and being paid nearly the same.
I am cautiously optimistic about trying to slowly go back to my main research project (from my crazy 500 page dissertation). I already have a conference presentation in October and I want MORE!! Sigh... the plan is to integrate the research to my teaching and even apply for an internal grant for it. We'll see how it goes. Sigh...
I can't wait to have some free days, but before I have to face all these last days, all the grading and, next week, an intense conference in which I'll be helping out. Probably in exchange for a few free meals and perhaps good interactions and networking, but maybe there will be some payment (if funding comes through for my friend the organizer).
I'm mentally spent, exhausted really. I think this was the worst semester yet, not in craziness of hours of teaching (that was the Fall of 2013 -- utter insanity), but teaching with a brand new book and, "tele-teaching" FIVE days a week (that hadn't happened before, it was always only Tu/Th). This takes a lot of energy, not to mention the stress and claustrophobic feeling of teaching in a room without windows, in the basement of a building (for 4-5 hours straight on Tu/Th -- teaching and then preparing materials, printing, etc).
Today is my last day in the teleconference room. YAY!! I'm moving on and I won't look back (remember I was counting the days?). Phew!!
Showing posts with label Tele-Teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tele-Teaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 03, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
The classroom I hate
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
17 Classes + 2 exams
I'm officially counting the days now until I am done teaching in a teleconference room if not forever, for a long time.
I cannot write an exclamation point there. It's a relief tinged with sadness. I can't wait to be done, I can't wait to have more time to become a better teacher to my better students at U#2 (which I guess will continue to be U#2 because U#1 will refer to where my husband teaches). At the same time, I feel sad.
That's why I want to keep emphasizing the things I don't like and that I can't wait to be over, but I don't know if that helps or not.
It's a constant challenge to teach this way, not to mention torture, when students aren't learning much (often because of a series of reasons, mostly not my fault) and students have so many levels of skill and ability to learn a foreign language. I've had some dark moments in these past four years. I'd say that the Fall of 2014 with its crazy challenging beginner class was the lowest point.
Few things were crazier than that first semester, though, when I taught in an empty room for students in two other universities.
And even fewer things were crazier and more awful than the Fall of 2013 when I was teaching almost seven 50 minute class periods two days a week with a one hour drive in between. I taught one 75 minutes long and two 50 minutes long classes, from 9:30 am to 12:50 pm then drove for an hour (while trying to eat something -- when I had it) to teach two more 75 minute long classes from 3-5:45!!! Thursday nights were the worst because I still had to drive 76 miles to teach two classes on Friday morning -- thankfully starting at 11 am. (I blogged a bit about that at the time calling those my über-packed days).
Edited to add: The hardest thing to believe is that in September 2013 I blogged about how I felt energized and did lots of stuff and how I was still productive a week later. I blogged a lot too, on purpose to reach my goal of more posts than the year before -- I wrote 26 posts in September, 25 in October and 30 in November (I always blog daily that month anyway). This goes on to prove my husband's theory that the busier we are, the most productive we get. In retrospect, it's interesting to see that I sound SUPER cheerful describing my Tuesdays and saying that I liked them because I went to the Farmer's market (until the end of Nov.) and yoga.
Towards the end of October my husband left for a conference and I was utterly exhausted, so I think the semester ended up taking its toll on me and by November the exhaustion was really taking its toll on me -- so in the December I wrote that the torture [was] over -- and it was, the following Fall wasn't as terrible
In the Fall 2014 it was easier because I only had two 50 minute classes in the morning and two longer ones in the afternoon and Fridays free!
Those two Falls were bad... OK, I want to write a few more posts about this transitional phase, but now I began to read old posts from 2013, so I'll come back later to write more!
I cannot write an exclamation point there. It's a relief tinged with sadness. I can't wait to be done, I can't wait to have more time to become a better teacher to my better students at U#2 (which I guess will continue to be U#2 because U#1 will refer to where my husband teaches). At the same time, I feel sad.
That's why I want to keep emphasizing the things I don't like and that I can't wait to be over, but I don't know if that helps or not.
It's a constant challenge to teach this way, not to mention torture, when students aren't learning much (often because of a series of reasons, mostly not my fault) and students have so many levels of skill and ability to learn a foreign language. I've had some dark moments in these past four years. I'd say that the Fall of 2014 with its crazy challenging beginner class was the lowest point.
Few things were crazier than that first semester, though, when I taught in an empty room for students in two other universities.
And even fewer things were crazier and more awful than the Fall of 2013 when I was teaching almost seven 50 minute class periods two days a week with a one hour drive in between. I taught one 75 minutes long and two 50 minutes long classes, from 9:30 am to 12:50 pm then drove for an hour (while trying to eat something -- when I had it) to teach two more 75 minute long classes from 3-5:45!!! Thursday nights were the worst because I still had to drive 76 miles to teach two classes on Friday morning -- thankfully starting at 11 am. (I blogged a bit about that at the time calling those my über-packed days).
Edited to add: The hardest thing to believe is that in September 2013 I blogged about how I felt energized and did lots of stuff and how I was still productive a week later. I blogged a lot too, on purpose to reach my goal of more posts than the year before -- I wrote 26 posts in September, 25 in October and 30 in November (I always blog daily that month anyway). This goes on to prove my husband's theory that the busier we are, the most productive we get. In retrospect, it's interesting to see that I sound SUPER cheerful describing my Tuesdays and saying that I liked them because I went to the Farmer's market (until the end of Nov.) and yoga.
Towards the end of October my husband left for a conference and I was utterly exhausted, so I think the semester ended up taking its toll on me and by November the exhaustion was really taking its toll on me -- so in the December I wrote that the torture [was] over -- and it was, the following Fall wasn't as terrible
In the Fall 2014 it was easier because I only had two 50 minute classes in the morning and two longer ones in the afternoon and Fridays free!
Those two Falls were bad... OK, I want to write a few more posts about this transitional phase, but now I began to read old posts from 2013, so I'll come back later to write more!
Sunday, February 21, 2016
It's Official: I'm leaving U#1
No exclamation point.
Relief, that's for sure. Counting the days to never again (I know! Never say never!) teach a shared class with another university using a teleconference room, even this special one that I use.
And a bit of apprehension because (as I mentioned here) I will be making a bit less money (and working way less!) and paying more than double for the oldest son's tuition. Sigh...
I also feel a little wistful and sad to leave the place where my husband works and was just granted tenure and where I taught for 6 years and made many good friends and had fabulous colleagues.
I need to keep reminding myself how little they paid me, how unprofessional the department is, how ABSURDLY exploitative of adjunct labor and... last, but not least, the quality of students cannot compare to U#2 (and #3)'s students. That last one is sad, but very true.
(and the last thing that is stressing me out is that the lady who will replace me has such a hard time with technology that I am worried thinking of what will happen, but I don't want to worry about it, I'll just give her the info she needs -- which will take some time -- and leave).
(and the last thing that is stressing me out is that the lady who will replace me has such a hard time with technology that I am worried thinking of what will happen, but I don't want to worry about it, I'll just give her the info she needs -- which will take some time -- and leave).
So, I should be happy, but there is some other stuff related to adjunct labor ALSO happening at U#2, so it's complicated. Happy mixed with sad and outrageous and fair mixed with upsetting. I don't know how much I'll be able to blog about that without saying too much and being too upset, but I'll try.
Anyway, just thought I needed to let you know about this!
P.S. blogger's block officially over!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Grade Submission Fiasco
well, well, well...
written last night
I was so absorbed in grading the exams and online materials of U#2's students in the last 48 hours [Sunday & Monday] (after all, this is the school that employs me full time) that I completely overlooked that the deadline for grade submission for U#1 was this afternoon [Monday] at 3 pm. I had never even remembered to check it -- foolish me!
When K got home after picking up the boys from school and asked me whether I had already submitted the grades that were due at 3 I totally flipped, panicked, started screaming at everyone, it was awful! I managed to calm down, and I even quickly finished grading my class that has only 5 students and submitted their grades online without a problem around 5 pm. So I was still pretty upset, but hopeful for the other class
However, there was a long, LONG way to go for the other class with 20 students! Checking homework online, grading PDF tests and exams in an iPad (loaned by the university, not mine) and, last by not least, finishing to grade the 6 page final. I emailed the students before I started to let them know that grade submission would be late and that they should check their grades in the online platform instead.
By the time I was done it was past 9:30 pm and, guess what?! I could no longer submit the grades online, so I (uselessly & annoyingly) panicked again. Sigh... Sometimes even I can't stand myself!
To make a long story short, I was supposed to fax the printed out grades this morning, but the signal was busy in the registrar's office, and I just walked over there and dropped it off. Mission (finally accomplished). Sigh...
well, gotta go now, packing for trip, doing tons of things, etc. Good thing grading is finally done!
written last night
I was so absorbed in grading the exams and online materials of U#2's students in the last 48 hours [Sunday & Monday] (after all, this is the school that employs me full time) that I completely overlooked that the deadline for grade submission for U#1 was this afternoon [Monday] at 3 pm. I had never even remembered to check it -- foolish me!
When K got home after picking up the boys from school and asked me whether I had already submitted the grades that were due at 3 I totally flipped, panicked, started screaming at everyone, it was awful! I managed to calm down, and I even quickly finished grading my class that has only 5 students and submitted their grades online without a problem around 5 pm. So I was still pretty upset, but hopeful for the other class
However, there was a long, LONG way to go for the other class with 20 students! Checking homework online, grading PDF tests and exams in an iPad (loaned by the university, not mine) and, last by not least, finishing to grade the 6 page final. I emailed the students before I started to let them know that grade submission would be late and that they should check their grades in the online platform instead.
By the time I was done it was past 9:30 pm and, guess what?! I could no longer submit the grades online, so I (uselessly & annoyingly) panicked again. Sigh... Sometimes even I can't stand myself!
To make a long story short, I was supposed to fax the printed out grades this morning, but the signal was busy in the registrar's office, and I just walked over there and dropped it off. Mission (finally accomplished). Sigh...
well, gotta go now, packing for trip, doing tons of things, etc. Good thing grading is finally done!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
I Need a NAAAAAP!
And yet, I won't take one. (and I did get home kinda late to take a nap... past 5:30 pm)
Sigh...
And I'm OK with it. It's not even my hyperactivity that's keeping me from napping today (it's hard for me to relax enough to take a nap most days, so I don't do it unless I have a lot of free time).
It's just that... I don't know, I'm not truly exhausted (yet), but my Tuesdays & Thursdays will be insane days and I'm not looking forward to them at all.
I can't be talking about this too much at U#2 because they might tell me I can't do it, but I'm teaching 2 classes at U#1 on top of my three classes at my full-time lecturer gig at U2.
And... wait for it (I may have blogged this already, but maybe not)... On Tu/Th I teach ALL 5 classes. 3 of which are 75 minutes long.
The worst of all is the 1h drive in between in the hottest part of the day.
(have I told you that the car I've been using since last year, our "new to us" car does NOT have air conditioning?)
yeah... you can pity me all right.
In any case, I toil non-stop from 9:30am-5:15pm, not including the commute in the morning if I don't stay overnight at U2's town. (I did last night).
In spite of all that, I think it'll be a good semester, I love my "old" students (have had them for a whole year or at least a semester) and the new students seem to be a great bunch. We'll see.
I've got mixed feelings about the "tele-teaching" which is now in a regular teleconference enabled classroom. Sigh... still better than last Fall with the 100% distance teaching!
Since things are still kinda slow around Casa in Translation I think we'll have a movie night & see Despicable Me which we haven't seen yet (I know, we hardly ever watch movies).
P.S. boys seem to be doing well back in school. I missed being home with them last night as they returned from their first day. Face-timing was not enough. :( I think I'll come back home every night this semester. It'll cost lots more in gas, but I love to see my boys every night! Sigh...
P.S.II I teach every single day 76 miles away from home. yeah... I win, feMOMhist (you've got 2 more miles, but you don't need to go every day). ;-) I mean, I clearly loose!!! if you know what I mean...
Sigh...
And I'm OK with it. It's not even my hyperactivity that's keeping me from napping today (it's hard for me to relax enough to take a nap most days, so I don't do it unless I have a lot of free time).
It's just that... I don't know, I'm not truly exhausted (yet), but my Tuesdays & Thursdays will be insane days and I'm not looking forward to them at all.
I can't be talking about this too much at U#2 because they might tell me I can't do it, but I'm teaching 2 classes at U#1 on top of my three classes at my full-time lecturer gig at U2.
And... wait for it (I may have blogged this already, but maybe not)... On Tu/Th I teach ALL 5 classes. 3 of which are 75 minutes long.
The worst of all is the 1h drive in between in the hottest part of the day.
(have I told you that the car I've been using since last year, our "new to us" car does NOT have air conditioning?)
yeah... you can pity me all right.
In any case, I toil non-stop from 9:30am-5:15pm, not including the commute in the morning if I don't stay overnight at U2's town. (I did last night).
In spite of all that, I think it'll be a good semester, I love my "old" students (have had them for a whole year or at least a semester) and the new students seem to be a great bunch. We'll see.
I've got mixed feelings about the "tele-teaching" which is now in a regular teleconference enabled classroom. Sigh... still better than last Fall with the 100% distance teaching!
Since things are still kinda slow around Casa in Translation I think we'll have a movie night & see Despicable Me which we haven't seen yet (I know, we hardly ever watch movies).
P.S. boys seem to be doing well back in school. I missed being home with them last night as they returned from their first day. Face-timing was not enough. :( I think I'll come back home every night this semester. It'll cost lots more in gas, but I love to see my boys every night! Sigh...
P.S.II I teach every single day 76 miles away from home. yeah... I win, feMOMhist (you've got 2 more miles, but you don't need to go every day). ;-) I mean, I clearly loose!!! if you know what I mean...
Monday, July 22, 2013
Subversive Thoughts (with Cynical Overtones)
A couple of weeks ago I began to feel that I missed work (a little bit) and at first that was a pleasant thought. After all, I do enjoy teaching and, for the most part, I don't hate all the driving. And being home all day with the boys was getting on my nerves. Of course I "could" be working, but I don't have the external motivation of a tenure-track job, so I slack off, and then further assure that I'll never ever have a t-t job because I'm not already publishing and researching, vicious circle, yada-yada-yada. (these are fleeting thoughts, I know it is true, though... I should be very stoic & keep on plugging at this even though I'm pessimistic realistic about my prospects).
Then, last week, my thoughts became slightly panicky because I began to think about how working with NH (new hire) is going to go. I felt overwhelmed again with worry regarding my ABSURD teaching load Th-Th (about 7 class periods, involving driving mid-day from one campus to the other).
I began to suspect, in turn, that the reason why they denied my request not to teach on Fridays (class is taught 5 times a week!) and implement some other activities, has everything to do with NH. I may be wrong, but I have a hunch about it. And, the worst part is that I feel like asking hir* point plank about it (foolish idea! but I have a feeling I may do it, I am a fool).
HOWEVER, I also realized in the past few days that my employment for the next school year (14-15) will probably depend for the most part on being on good terms with NH and hir willingness to have me teaching more classes that s/he is supposed to teach or is teaching too (but to TWO students next semester -- they definitely didn't need to have hired me full-time & I'm also feeling a bit guilty about that -- I KNOW I SHOULD NOT).
OK, enter this morning's thoughts. I was washing the dishes and I began to think that I need to start planning for 2014-15 already. I need to begin to see if I can come back to U1 (where I still teach 2 classes) full-time. I was thinking "subversive thoughts" as to how the tele-teaching can best help me be hired in a better position.
And I have a feeling that blogging about all this is very bad idea and why I need to be as anonymous as I possibly can. Sigh... (but I know I don't need to worry because very few people read me to begin with).
As for the cynical overtones, they always accompany my whole thought processes very closely. I still feel extremely belligerent towards "academia" and all it represents and all I can an cannot do because of "it" and the way it operates. I know that I need to "work the system" to my advantage as I did that past year, so... I was proactive:
I just sent an email to my (brand new -- for the 2nd time) department chair at U2 because I want to talk about me and next year and about how the relationship with new hire. And teaching load and other things. And I also want to have a meeting with the guy who basically offered me a full-time opportunity at U1. I need to keep all my options open.
Oh, and I know that the subversive aspect is only in my head. There's no way to really "subvert" this cruel system. I wish. I will just keep trying to ride it as best as I can without falling of this "boat" that I'm not even exactly in! In the end, I'm not really a pessimist, am I?
* you may have noticed that I decided to be more vague about this person. I should probably delete older posts that are almost inappropriate. ;) And again I get panicky & think I need to delete all photos of my face from the blog. GAH... I hate to "take back" anything I've posted here. In fact, I have very rarely done so.
Then, last week, my thoughts became slightly panicky because I began to think about how working with NH (new hire) is going to go. I felt overwhelmed again with worry regarding my ABSURD teaching load Th-Th (about 7 class periods, involving driving mid-day from one campus to the other).
I began to suspect, in turn, that the reason why they denied my request not to teach on Fridays (class is taught 5 times a week!) and implement some other activities, has everything to do with NH. I may be wrong, but I have a hunch about it. And, the worst part is that I feel like asking hir* point plank about it (foolish idea! but I have a feeling I may do it, I am a fool).
HOWEVER, I also realized in the past few days that my employment for the next school year (14-15) will probably depend for the most part on being on good terms with NH and hir willingness to have me teaching more classes that s/he is supposed to teach or is teaching too (but to TWO students next semester -- they definitely didn't need to have hired me full-time & I'm also feeling a bit guilty about that -- I KNOW I SHOULD NOT).
OK, enter this morning's thoughts. I was washing the dishes and I began to think that I need to start planning for 2014-15 already. I need to begin to see if I can come back to U1 (where I still teach 2 classes) full-time. I was thinking "subversive thoughts" as to how the tele-teaching can best help me be hired in a better position.
And I have a feeling that blogging about all this is very bad idea and why I need to be as anonymous as I possibly can. Sigh... (but I know I don't need to worry because very few people read me to begin with).
As for the cynical overtones, they always accompany my whole thought processes very closely. I still feel extremely belligerent towards "academia" and all it represents and all I can an cannot do because of "it" and the way it operates. I know that I need to "work the system" to my advantage as I did that past year, so... I was proactive:
I just sent an email to my (brand new -- for the 2nd time) department chair at U2 because I want to talk about me and next year and about how the relationship with new hire. And teaching load and other things. And I also want to have a meeting with the guy who basically offered me a full-time opportunity at U1. I need to keep all my options open.
Oh, and I know that the subversive aspect is only in my head. There's no way to really "subvert" this cruel system. I wish. I will just keep trying to ride it as best as I can without falling of this "boat" that I'm not even exactly in! In the end, I'm not really a pessimist, am I?
* you may have noticed that I decided to be more vague about this person. I should probably delete older posts that are almost inappropriate. ;) And again I get panicky & think I need to delete all photos of my face from the blog. GAH... I hate to "take back" anything I've posted here. In fact, I have very rarely done so.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
It's official, I'm a Megacommuter
A few days ago, Rebecca Davis-O'Brien's piece "Me and My Megacommute" was posted in The New Yorker website, but I only saw it today.
It is little consolation to know that nearly six hundred thousand other commuters drive as much or more than I do to work every day... sigh.
This semester I'm only driving three days a week and I find it that those two days I get to drive only 20 minutes to U#1 make it harder to have to drive for over an hour the next day. Somehow doing it every morning makes it more routine and, as such, a bit more acceptable. I'll go back to that next semester, but I'm not looking forward to it.
Maybe someday I'll work only at U#1. I sure hope so!
P.S. this afternoon my tele-teaching presentation was broadcast. I spoke too fast in the recording... the very first comment on the pre-recorded talk that people didn't know was pre-recorded, was a request for me to speak more slowly. Sigh... it's just that I had lots to say!
It is little consolation to know that nearly six hundred thousand other commuters drive as much or more than I do to work every day... sigh.
This semester I'm only driving three days a week and I find it that those two days I get to drive only 20 minutes to U#1 make it harder to have to drive for over an hour the next day. Somehow doing it every morning makes it more routine and, as such, a bit more acceptable. I'll go back to that next semester, but I'm not looking forward to it.
Maybe someday I'll work only at U#1. I sure hope so!
P.S. this afternoon my tele-teaching presentation was broadcast. I spoke too fast in the recording... the very first comment on the pre-recorded talk that people didn't know was pre-recorded, was a request for me to speak more slowly. Sigh... it's just that I had lots to say!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Tele-Teaching Poster Child Goes GLOBAL!
These were my feelings & thoughts two weeks ago, after I finished my very first conference call:*
"This is truly insane... why in the world have they invited me?"
"I surely don't belong with university presidents and professors who have been at their universities for 30 years!"
The worst part was that I initially felt very conflicted about having been invited to present on a global forum about my "virtual" teaching experience. I felt that the technology I'm using has great potential to be used for "evil" (i.e. continuing under-employment as adjunct faculty providing even more profits to universities who can now share already marginal employees).
I was able to overcome my scruples and go along with it. Two conference calls after that one and we're nearly ready to record the presentation.
So... this was the news from two weeks ago that made me feel valued and, at the same time, crushed because it doesn't mean much of anything. I've been invited to talk about my experience and it will be broadcast globally to thousands of people. Yeah... mind blowing. I hope it's a harbinger of good things to come. Of future possibilities...
* Which, ironically, happened on the same day I learned the candidates were teaching my class. The conference call then motivated me to talk to my department chair, which, in turn, made me even more panicky and then... blah that crazy week happened. :(
"This is truly insane... why in the world have they invited me?"
"I surely don't belong with university presidents and professors who have been at their universities for 30 years!"
The worst part was that I initially felt very conflicted about having been invited to present on a global forum about my "virtual" teaching experience. I felt that the technology I'm using has great potential to be used for "evil" (i.e. continuing under-employment as adjunct faculty providing even more profits to universities who can now share already marginal employees).
I was able to overcome my scruples and go along with it. Two conference calls after that one and we're nearly ready to record the presentation.
So... this was the news from two weeks ago that made me feel valued and, at the same time, crushed because it doesn't mean much of anything. I've been invited to talk about my experience and it will be broadcast globally to thousands of people. Yeah... mind blowing. I hope it's a harbinger of good things to come. Of future possibilities...
* Which, ironically, happened on the same day I learned the candidates were teaching my class. The conference call then motivated me to talk to my department chair, which, in turn, made me even more panicky and then... blah that crazy week happened. :(
Friday, December 07, 2012
The "Tele-Teaching" Poster Child or...
... according to my husband's department chair, "everything that is wrong with [that] university."
Apparently, I've become the "poster-child" for tele-teaching at my former institution. My husband heard that from a colleague and then from his department chair, who stopped by his office to share this story a few weeks ago.
Higher-up administrators such as provosts and others had a meeting and K's department chair and colleague attended. The provost was talking about how the project is going extremely well at the university and then cheerfully mentioned that there was this language class that was a great success.
K's department chair immediately commented (probably not to the speaker, but to those around him): "I know who teaches that class, and she's not even ours. She can be a successful instructor for this program, but the university can't even hire her!" and after sharing this with K, he added "This is an example of everything that is wrong with this university."
Well, I couldn't agree more!!!
Yesterday was my very last "extreme tele-teaching" class and I'm relieved that that this is over as well. At the end of our last class I got some feedback from the students and it was all positive, surprisingly to me, since I didn't think it was that great. It did go pretty well, though, my only complaint was that I felt they didn't talk to me much (they recognized that as true). Maybe the administrators are right, it was a good class. Next semester it'll be a regular tele-teaching gig, I'll be in the room with the students and a group from the other university will join us. I'm very relieved I'm done for now (except for two separate finals -- I insisted in driving to the other university to finally meet the students in person and they'll pay for my trip and lodging!).
OK, two posts back to back, that's a little too much for me, so I'll go now!
Apparently, I've become the "poster-child" for tele-teaching at my former institution. My husband heard that from a colleague and then from his department chair, who stopped by his office to share this story a few weeks ago.
Higher-up administrators such as provosts and others had a meeting and K's department chair and colleague attended. The provost was talking about how the project is going extremely well at the university and then cheerfully mentioned that there was this language class that was a great success.
K's department chair immediately commented (probably not to the speaker, but to those around him): "I know who teaches that class, and she's not even ours. She can be a successful instructor for this program, but the university can't even hire her!" and after sharing this with K, he added "This is an example of everything that is wrong with this university."
Well, I couldn't agree more!!!
Yesterday was my very last "extreme tele-teaching" class and I'm relieved that that this is over as well. At the end of our last class I got some feedback from the students and it was all positive, surprisingly to me, since I didn't think it was that great. It did go pretty well, though, my only complaint was that I felt they didn't talk to me much (they recognized that as true). Maybe the administrators are right, it was a good class. Next semester it'll be a regular tele-teaching gig, I'll be in the room with the students and a group from the other university will join us. I'm very relieved I'm done for now (except for two separate finals -- I insisted in driving to the other university to finally meet the students in person and they'll pay for my trip and lodging!).
OK, two posts back to back, that's a little too much for me, so I'll go now!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Feliz
I just wish, I really do, that I could blog more. Other than that (and of course little things of life that go wrong but which are meaningless in the grand scheme of things like the laundry list of the previous email)... I couldn't be happier.
Seriously. Yesterday and today I haven't been as blissfully, walking on clouds happy as I was on my very first day of teaching (Tuesday). And that day was crazy in that I had tons of technology challenges in class and out. I spent almost 2 hours until I finally figured out how to access my email and was finally able to drive the 70 miles home.
I can't really explain what it felt like after I taught my "teleteaching" class and it went just fine and then I had to do my 10 minute walk to the building where I teach my other classes... It's a beautiful campus. Certain parts of the landscaping/gardening remind me of Longwood Gardens, seriously!
I had been so anxious about the long-distance, technology-mediated class, but it's fine! It really is!
And then I went on to teach my live, flesh & blood students and it was just soooo great!! Everything went wrong with technology in the class, but I still managed to pull out a pretty good first class.
The truth is I enjoy teaching and I think that language teaching fits ADHD-me just fine. Maybe someday I'll be centered enough to teach literature and culture in a way that won't make me feel like I suck 100%, but language? (which is so easy and which basically anyone can teach, no degree needed, only being a native speaker of a language -- something that is seriously frustrating if you think of spending 10 years to get a phd in something I'm extremely passionate about and then teaching what? Language?) Anyway... yeah, I think I'm good at it and I can feel happy and fulfilled doing it.
There are other important elements that make me happy and I'll try to blog about some of them separately. Having "benefits" helps a lot psychologically too. It reassures me that my work is valued, even though I'm not paid that much.
I want to try and write a series of "catching up" posts in the next few days. Then I'll write a post to "wrap it up" at the end.
Seriously. Yesterday and today I haven't been as blissfully, walking on clouds happy as I was on my very first day of teaching (Tuesday). And that day was crazy in that I had tons of technology challenges in class and out. I spent almost 2 hours until I finally figured out how to access my email and was finally able to drive the 70 miles home.
I can't really explain what it felt like after I taught my "teleteaching" class and it went just fine and then I had to do my 10 minute walk to the building where I teach my other classes... It's a beautiful campus. Certain parts of the landscaping/gardening remind me of Longwood Gardens, seriously!
I had been so anxious about the long-distance, technology-mediated class, but it's fine! It really is!
And then I went on to teach my live, flesh & blood students and it was just soooo great!! Everything went wrong with technology in the class, but I still managed to pull out a pretty good first class.
The truth is I enjoy teaching and I think that language teaching fits ADHD-me just fine. Maybe someday I'll be centered enough to teach literature and culture in a way that won't make me feel like I suck 100%, but language? (which is so easy and which basically anyone can teach, no degree needed, only being a native speaker of a language -- something that is seriously frustrating if you think of spending 10 years to get a phd in something I'm extremely passionate about and then teaching what? Language?) Anyway... yeah, I think I'm good at it and I can feel happy and fulfilled doing it.
There are other important elements that make me happy and I'll try to blog about some of them separately. Having "benefits" helps a lot psychologically too. It reassures me that my work is valued, even though I'm not paid that much.
I want to try and write a series of "catching up" posts in the next few days. Then I'll write a post to "wrap it up" at the end.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Super Extreme Tele-Teaching
This is too surreal to be real, but it is real and it's coming to be in the Fall.
I still can't believe I've agreed to to this and I think it's the most horrible pathetic thing that technology ever did to me and to education...
OK, I'll blurt it out, though I don't really want to share this because I hate the idea so much...
So... I am supposed to teach 17+5 students at two different universities from an empty teleconference room -- I mean, I'll be in the room, but there'll be no students in it. I don't see how this can work, I think the person in charge is just not thinking right but just desperate to get this class to be taught and my hubby talked me into doing this as well (so I can maintain affiliation).
Look what'll happen: I will drive early to other university and from there I'll teach students from former university and another university. Then, I'll teach two other classes back to back after that "sweet" distance learning extreme experiment.
oh... and the all of the experience I have with this whole "tele-teaching" (which is what I decided to call this) experience and concept is one advanced Chinese class that I attended. Once. And I get back to the U.S. less than a week before classes start.
sooo sweet. But, you know what, I will survive this. somehow.
guys, wish me luck. I will need it. (at this point I don't really care about what's going to happen...)
I still can't believe I've agreed to to this and I think it's the most horrible pathetic thing that technology ever did to me and to education...
OK, I'll blurt it out, though I don't really want to share this because I hate the idea so much...
So... I am supposed to teach 17+5 students at two different universities from an empty teleconference room -- I mean, I'll be in the room, but there'll be no students in it. I don't see how this can work, I think the person in charge is just not thinking right but just desperate to get this class to be taught and my hubby talked me into doing this as well (so I can maintain affiliation).
Look what'll happen: I will drive early to other university and from there I'll teach students from former university and another university. Then, I'll teach two other classes back to back after that "sweet" distance learning extreme experiment.
oh... and the all of the experience I have with this whole "tele-teaching" (which is what I decided to call this) experience and concept is one advanced Chinese class that I attended. Once. And I get back to the U.S. less than a week before classes start.
sooo sweet. But, you know what, I will survive this. somehow.
guys, wish me luck. I will need it. (at this point I don't really care about what's going to happen...)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tele-Teaching (?!)
Well, well, well...
I was communicated this morning that next semester I will be "tele-teaching" a class for students at another university in addition to mine here and I was not that excited...actually, when I first heard of the possibility last week, I was positively scared and stressed out.
a quick phone call to my husband changed my mind just a bit ( he argued getting involved with this brand-new development in higher education might be another advantage to me, making me more "indispensable" blah, blah... though I only see it as further sign of my exploitation).
so, yeah... I know very little about this "thing," except from news releases I found online googling the name of the project (which I'm obviously not going to share here). My office-mate (the lovely lady from Iraq) will have to do it too and she already told me that we should receive more compensation for it & I fully agree. I just sent an email to the dept. chair giving her more information about my class (that she'd requested) and I put a line in there about compensation. I'm beginning my slow but sure fight over here, you can count on that.
I'll keep you posted. It's like I always say, there's never a dull moment in my "adventurous life." (sigh)
ha-ha-ha :p
I was communicated this morning that next semester I will be "tele-teaching" a class for students at another university in addition to mine here and I was not that excited...actually, when I first heard of the possibility last week, I was positively scared and stressed out.
a quick phone call to my husband changed my mind just a bit ( he argued getting involved with this brand-new development in higher education might be another advantage to me, making me more "indispensable" blah, blah... though I only see it as further sign of my exploitation).
so, yeah... I know very little about this "thing," except from news releases I found online googling the name of the project (which I'm obviously not going to share here). My office-mate (the lovely lady from Iraq) will have to do it too and she already told me that we should receive more compensation for it & I fully agree. I just sent an email to the dept. chair giving her more information about my class (that she'd requested) and I put a line in there about compensation. I'm beginning my slow but sure fight over here, you can count on that.
I'll keep you posted. It's like I always say, there's never a dull moment in my "adventurous life." (sigh)
ha-ha-ha :p
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