Reply To: venting and burn out

[Rose Manduca]

Wishing I could do nothing over spring break! But I will be able to get a little more sleep – I hope.

At my college we just starting having spring break last year. For 20 years we went straight through Spring semester until the end of April then had a couple weeks off before the summer semester starts in May. Then all the sudden last year “they” decided to have spring break in March and only about a week off bt semesters. Good for the students, I guess, but really a source of stress for me trying to figure out what parts of the required material to cut bc we lost a week. Easier in a lecture/discussion course but really a problem in lab especially for Thurs sections as there is a faculty ‘retreat’ one Thurs in March when there are no classes, then there is spring break and I also have to schedule Thurs final exam the week before finals week bc I cannot grade 10 written and practical exams starting after 9 PM on Thurs night – plus my other Thurs course finals – by Friday noon when the chairs want the final grades in (even though technically they are not due until Sat at noon). Students cannot miss 3 lab sessions and learn and practice all the required lab procedures skills!. This year I told my program coordinator to pls not schedule my lab sections on Thurs anymore. So done with that – don’t need the frustration! Phew! Sorry for the complaining, but putting that in writing really felt good! Maybe we do need a place to vent – thanks Mary Kate! – R