Enduring to the End...of Class

One disadvantage to having such a long break is that all my teaching endurance goes down the drain and suddenly, after a few classes, I'm exhausted. You wouldn't think just standing and talking would be taxing but it can be.

One of my colleagues left us at the end of last semester. He has aspirations to be an administrator and so IVCC was really only a stepping stone for him. He got a job at another Illinois CC running their dual credit program and managing the honors program. It's unusual for an instructor to leave midyear so it put our schedule all in a tizzy. Suddenly, we had five classes that needed covering during a term that was already over enrolled.

So, as low man on the totem pole, I did my bit and took one of the classes this guy left behind. After that, a local high school requested an on-site dual enrollment class on their campus. Guess who had the only schedule that fit their needs? So now, I've gone from teaching four leisurely classes and working in the writing lab a few hours a week to teaching six classes and having four different preps.

I'm not complaining. As I've said, I like my job, but it is a lot of work. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I teach three, hour and fifteen minute classes back to back, going from 9:30 until 2:30. By the end of my last class yesterday, my voice had already started to go. I'll have to watch for that.

It seems like it will be a good semester. There will be a lot of names and faces to remember but the students seem like bright, interested people for the most part. The new addition to my usual round of 1001, 1002, and Creative Writing this term is American Lit 2 which I enjoy teaching a lot. Next week, Whitman!