It happened yet again. It happens every semester, so you'd think I'd be used to it by now: earlier today, my supervisor told me that at least one of my upcoming classes has been cancelled, and that one or two more might also get the axe. Low enrollment.
The problem is this: we don't find out about cancellations until the last minute. This means that teachers who care will plan out their semester, only to find out that much of their planning will have to be tossed. The reason this happens is that the class registration period runs up against the semester itself, which is something I have been politely campaigning against since my second semester at Smoo. An earlier registration period-- is two weeks asking too much?-- would allow us to gather the numbers and lock in which courses we'd be teaching.
Do other university instructors suffer through this same charade every semester?
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Friday, June 29, 2007
lesson planning woes
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2 comments:
Golly, Kevin.
Again you show how strong your work ethic is.
I did prepare for my courses at Smoo, and some courses I specifically prepared harder for (e.g. M--- Writing). But I can't say that I ever prepared for any class at Smoo more than a week or two in advance. Moreover, a sudden cancelation wouldn't have thrown me off at all, especially since I don't need to prepare for the first class. I have a large mental repertoire and a huge database of materials to draw from, and I just spend the first class on getting everybody comfortable, laying down expectations, doing icebreakers, and stuff like that.
Hope that the semester gets better for you after this downer.
Max
I teach at a university in Louisiana. We learn whether our courses have made about one week before the students arrive each semester, so yes, sometimes I prepare and don't get to use the preparation that semester.
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