Comments on: Constant fatigue http://davesmidlife.com/2007/10/12/constant-fatigue/ A middle-aged baseball fan waiting to see what he'll be when he grows up Sat, 10 Dec 2011 04:31:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dave http://davesmidlife.com/2007/10/12/constant-fatigue/comment-page-1/#comment-15856 Dave Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:49:51 +0000 http://davesmidlife.com/2007/10/12/constant-fatigue/#comment-15856 Gordon, before I taught in Loudoun County I was a university insructor/professor for 13 years. I came to DC to take a tenure-line job at American University. I well recall all the hours I spent preparing notes, lectures, exercises and other activities for each class. All the while I was expected to keep doing research and publish (which I did, although it ended up not even getting me tenure). When I started teaching high school, I discovered a whole new scheme. It was suddenly more about seeing these people every day (or every other day, on the block schedule, but it's the same idea) and keeping something going regularly. If it weren't for the pacing of a county-prescribed curriculum and the basal textbook, I would spend until about midnight every day staring at a blank notebook, wondering what new, fresh thing I would bring to the classroom the next day. I now know that the freshness I bring is simply myself. Wherever I am that day, that's where the lesson plan is. It's planned, to be sure, but not always predictable. It's Saturday and I'm still tired, see: I just can't stop typing once I start! Gordon, before I taught in Loudoun County I was a university insructor/professor for 13 years. I came to DC to take a tenure-line job at American University.

I well recall all the hours I spent preparing notes, lectures, exercises and other activities for each class. All the while I was expected to keep doing research and publish (which I did, although it ended up not even getting me tenure).

When I started teaching high school, I discovered a whole new scheme. It was suddenly more about seeing these people every day (or every other day, on the block schedule, but it’s the same idea) and keeping something going regularly.

If it weren’t for the pacing of a county-prescribed curriculum and the basal textbook, I would spend until about midnight every day staring at a blank notebook, wondering what new, fresh thing I would bring to the classroom the next day.

I now know that the freshness I bring is simply myself. Wherever I am that day, that’s where the lesson plan is. It’s planned, to be sure, but not always predictable.

It’s Saturday and I’m still tired, see: I just can’t stop typing once I start!

]]> By: Gordon Worley http://davesmidlife.com/2007/10/12/constant-fatigue/comment-page-1/#comment-15848 Gordon Worley Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:59:13 +0000 http://davesmidlife.com/2007/10/12/constant-fatigue/#comment-15848 I teach at the university level and I spend between 8 and 12 hours a week preparing notes for my classes. At the end I have about 8 pages of stuff to present to them in just 1 hour each week (I teach a reduced seat time course, so we only meet 1 hour for a 3 hour course and they do the rest of their learning from the book and online). I can't imagine teaching 5 different classes. Now I understand why so many teachers rely on text books rather than create notes like I do: there's simply not time to do that for so many classes. I teach at the university level and I spend between 8 and 12 hours a week preparing notes for my classes. At the end I have about 8 pages of stuff to present to them in just 1 hour each week (I teach a reduced seat time course, so we only meet 1 hour for a 3 hour course and they do the rest of their learning from the book and online). I can’t imagine teaching 5 different classes. Now I understand why so many teachers rely on text books rather than create notes like I do: there’s simply not time to do that for so many classes.

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