Comments on: I got nuthin’.

By: Indyanna

Indyanna — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:39:16 +0000

Congrats, eduardo! Summer sessions that “pay so damn well…” This is rich. At my unionized and otherwise pretty lucrative uni, summer “contracts” are actually offered at a significant discount to the standing scales for the rest of the year. (Something about not having to do committee work or something like that). When I started the old tuskers who were on the statewide employee pension system (keyed lavishly to the state legislators’ benefit rakeoff scheme) would eat these babies up to push up their baseline salaries for the final 3-year pension-defining bracket. Us TIAA-Cretins wouldn’t touch ‘em. But now the tuskers are grazing offsite, the institutional demand for year-round revenue streams is rising fast, and one fears that the word “mandatory” may creep into the next contract rhetoric. If ‘n when that ever comes to pass, I’ll be hopefully tending goats in the Pyrenees somewhere.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:50:57 +0000

Hey–Congratulations! Have a Pisco Sour on me. (Or the M—-r F—–g Jameson–which might be more your style.)

By: eduardo

eduardo — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:38:02 +0000

Yes, Maymester is awful, isn’t it? I do feel like my head will come at any minute, as well.

We have two summer terms, a 4 week (May) and an 8 week (June-July). They are optional for profs to teach, but they pay so damn well that I usually volunteer for one of them. Ah the joys of a 10 month pay schedule …

But the load doesn’t seem as heavy this year … awarded tenure this month.

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:45:58 +0000

Maybe we could all have a book club discussion of Wolf Hall? If Janice reads the book, maybe she’ll want to host–but I’ll be happy to have it here.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:35:15 +0000

Two more weeks of classes. Last week I did individual conferences with students on their papers (that way they started on them) and this week they are giving presentations. Otherwise I’d be dead now.

Just saying.
I bought Wolf Hall but I’m leaving it for summer, when I hope I’ll have time to read.

By: Kathie

Kathie — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:41:25 +0000

All of my higher education – undergrad, grad, and most of my teaching has been on the three quarter plan, and I personally got to really like the fast 10-week pace of things. The one time I taught in a semester program, I thought I’d never get to the end of the class, it just kept going and going and going … Much too long for me — and for the students!

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:11:42 +0000

Squadrato and Shaz: I agree. Quarters stink, and badly. I’m grateful never to have had to deal with them.

Indyanna: Maymester was the month before Brumiere, right? (Heh.)

By: squadratomagico

squadratomagico — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:04:01 +0000

I’m with Shaz: we quarter-system folks have months of misery ahead…. Quarters end up being more work than semesters, I think, even though we start later than you. Part of the thing I hate about it is that there is almost no time off during the year. It’s not uncommon to submit grades on Dec. 21 or so, then return to work on Jan 2nd; and “spring break” is usually about 3 days off (grades due on a Tuesday, then the remaining three days of that week free, a weekend, and back at it.) We don’t have time for a “reading week” before exams, which I think would benefit the students immeasurably. Lastly, for quarter systems all bureaucracy pertaining to classes — scheduling times and rooms; ordering books and readers; giving permissions for advanced classes; negotiating class lists and waitlists; dealing with finals — is increased by 50% over a semester system. I have no idea why any university would implement them.

By: Indyanna

Indyanna — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:51:57 +0000

Wasn’t there a Maymester on the French Revolutionary calendar? Didn’t something big (or awful) happen in Maymester of the Year II? Maybe I’m just wrong…

By: Historiann

Historiann — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:37:00 +0000

When I resigned my first job, the rest of the teaching there was more fun than ever precisely because it wasn’t going down on my “permanent record.” I could just do what I wanted to do and serve the students, and I didn’t have to worry about student evaluations or ever discussing my teaching at that institution with anyone ever again. And you know what happened? I got the best evaluations ever.

Dickens Reader makes an interesting point: the academic calendar has these times, but then we get to start all over again. It’s what I’ve always loved about the school calendar: there’s always a fresh start. No semster actually goes on forever (although it may feel like it sometimes.) I think that would be a very difficult thing to get used to were I ever to leave academia for a “civilian” 9-to-5 job.

And, eduardo: Maymester? That’s a terrible neologism to impose on one of the loveliest months of the year, in addition to a terrible burden for you and your colleagues. WTF? (I’ve heard of January terms, but then what the hell else are you going to do in a northern clime in the middle of winter, right?)