Chronology | Current Month | Current Thread | Current Date |
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] | [Date Index] [Thread Index] | [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] | [Date Prev] [Date Next] |
Hi.
I'd be interested in knowing what the teaching loads are among
list members. At my institution, the official load is 18-21
contact hrs per week, but our administrators force us to carry
the high end of that range. We're supposedly docked in pay if we
drop below 54 hrs over three semesters (i'm on 12 months). The
other physics instructor at my school is also our division
chairperson, and his load is only 10 contact hrs per week.
Don't these pea-brained administrators understand that quality
suffers one you hit the 18 hr mark? This semester, I'm pretending
to teach four different courses and I'm doing a rotten job with
them all simply because I'm in the classroom more than I'm in my
office. On Mondays, I have class from 9am till noon and from 7pm
till 10pm. Tuesdays are a marathon of labs from 9am till 4pm with
a one hour break. Wednesdays are like Mondays only the evening
class is over at 9pm. Thursdays are easy with a class from 9-11am
and Fridays are another three hour marathon from 9am till noon.
After doing this for nine years (just started my tenth),
I've come to the conclusion that I cannot grow professionally
under these conditions. We're discouraged from any true
professional development (no funds for travel, etc.). We're
discouraged from engaging in any research. The only advancement
at my school is, in the administration's eyes, moving from
faculty to administration. Over 50% of our courses are taught by
part-time instructors, one of whom had been stealing from our
chemistry lab and lies about his credentials. My boss (the other
physics person) blows me off as a complainer when I tell him I'm
concerned about the quality of my teaching under these
circumstances. His most recent response (last Friday) was that
complaining about it won't help; he ignores the most serious of
concerns. He has no intention of attempting to change anything.
The really galling thing, though, is how our institution boasts
about "quality in the classroom". Empty words! There can be no
quality with such high teaching loads. I've already had to do
away with homework assignment
I'm trapped and I don't know what to do. No one at my instutition
seems to give a damn anymore, and I see no end in sight. I take
far too much pride in what I do to be "trapped" in this situation.
Is anyone else in this situation?
Cheers,
Joe
CVAC Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/cvac.html>
My Book <http://www.willbell.com/new/fundephcomp.htm>
My Home Page <http://users.vnet.net/heafnerj/>
Please -- no Microsoft attachments. They're a security risk.