my thoughts they drag me down

[lunabee34]

Once again, I need your help, dear flist, and the question I have to ask you comes down to money vs. sanity.

Two of the classes I teach are going from three hour to four hour courses in the spring. If I keep my current schedule of six classes, I will be teaching 20 hours in the spring. (This is 20 contact hours in the classroom, not counting prep time and time spent grading, office hours, committee work (I get to chair one this time. *sigh*). The two classes that are going to four hours are remedial classes that really need me to give quizzes and homework every period for the students to learn best. This means of course, that I have to grade them. Full-time is teaching 15 hours and in the past any additional hours over that 15 have resulted in overload pay. So I currently have a three hour overload. In the spring, 16 hours will be considered full-time with any additional hours resulting in overload pay.

So here's my dilemma.

Do I keep my current schedule and possibly become so stressed out for time that I don't finish my dissertation?

or

Do I drop my overload and go down to teaching 17 hours and only get paid for one overload hour rather than three? And possibly run out of money in the summer? Again. LOL

Help me!!

ETAY'all are right, as always. Sanity wins the day!.

Comments

[executrix.livejournal.com]

How about giving multiple choice quizzes that you can make up a punch-card template for (i.e., if the right answer is "B" there's a hole punched at "B" so you can mark the quizzes really fast? And, in an emergency, pay a high school student a few bucks to mark them? I don't mean "explain why the grammar is incorrect," but "give the student an 85 for getting 17 out of 20 multiple-choice questions right."

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I think you're right. Quizzes will need to be multiple choice from now on. *And* I think I will probably give less of them. I mean, currently students are only having 2 quizzes a week, so maybe I should think in terms of not really giving them that much more quizzes and homework.

*ponders*

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Also, you can have the students swap papers with each other, you can give them the right answer, perhaps with some discussion (...revealing the sordid underbelly of exactly how few of your students know what an adjective is...)and they grade each others' papers. Then you take the papers home, put the grades into a database, and then at the end of the semester, you apply a weighting formula (Quizzes: 10% of grade, Midterm and Final exam and Final Paper each 30% of grade), hit "Enter" and...Instant Grades!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Yes! I have this awesome computer program where you just plug in the numbers and it does all the figuring for you. It's like Excel for lazy people. LOL

[kaleecat]

okay what is this program because I have never mastered using Excel for grading schemas. I have to use a point system for all of my classes when I'm teaching because throwing in percentages gives me a headache.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

This seems to be a page where you can download it:

http://download99.com/downloads/download-FastTracker.htm

[tabaqui]

Have the class grade stuff. Pass out in random order and let them have at it. Unless you'd think they'd cheat somehow, heh.

I....don't really know. I thought teaching was a forty-hour-a-week gig so i'm kind of surprised at the numbers. And i have *no* clue what your money situation is and if you could adjust so you *don't* run out of money, heh.

I am being amazingly unhelpful, aren't i?
Sorry.
*pet pet pet*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

It turns out to be roughly forty hours a week (sometimes more, sometimes less); it just isn't all spent in the office.

So right now, I spend 18 hours in the classroom and 8 hours in the office each week. When I add in time spent grading, developing course content, preparing to teach, going to committee meetings and completing committee duties, it's about 40. (Also time I spend writing and submitting publications counts.)

You are helpful! No worries. ;)

I think we're far enough ahead of the spring that we can just save extra money. I think that would be the easiest and best decision probably.

[tabaqui]

Ah, i see. Okay, that makes more sense, hours wise.

And yeah - saving money sounds better than driving yourself to distraction with all sorts of extra work.

[wisdomeagle]

Choose sanity!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Wise, wise lady.

*hugs*

[cityphonelines.livejournal.com]

I really think executrix's way is the way to go. And make the homework as basic as possible, while still being conducive to learning.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I think you are so right. I can find a balance where I won't just be killing myself.

[ariadne83]

I would choose sanity. The dissertation is one of the top priorities.

But if you end up keeping on with the classes feel free to email me and vent *hugs*

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

And sanity wins!!!!!

*hugs*

You are so wise, my dear heart.

Pics!

[ariadne83]

I uploaded some photos of the niecelet for selected perusal ;-)

Re: Pics!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

She is just about too cute for words. *smishes her* Love her with that magnifying glass.

Is that you holding her as a newborn? And is your hubby the guy in the pictures?

Re: Pics!

[ariadne83]

Yup that's us, three and a half years back

Re: Pics!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Y'all are some good looking people! (I admit I am a sucker for knowing what people look like since we all spend so much time talking online without ever seeing each other.) You have such pretty eyes.

Re: Pics!

[ariadne83]

*blushes* Thanks!

Here's where I admit that I made sure I had makeup on that first day, because I knew the newborn photos would be passed around to everybody and I didn't want to look like shit LOL

Re: Pics!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Ha!

I know exactly what you mean. I will cop to similar behavior. LOL

[creedcascade.livejournal.com]

Sanity. Keep what little you have.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Dude. No joke. I can't afford to let that shit just dry up. LOL

[kaleecat]

In the long run your dissertation, and your future, is more important. Lord knows I know how incredibly difficult it is to juggle the full-time academic teaching schedule with finishing a major project or even getting it half done--I didn't. And adding in a family? Its early enough in the academic year, perhaps you can sit down and start a tighter budget now. Saving that extra money and saving your sanity next term by being able to do less overload.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

You are such a wise person. I've looked at the budget and I think we can save enough money between now and then to not have to worry about it. I feel relieved now that I've made the decision to scale back.

[kaleecat]

Relief means its the right decision. :-D Glad the mighty flist could help.