My feet are swollen.
I have not eaten the whole day.
I am thirsty for whisky.
It is after the 100th email of students giving you any reason under the sun why they cannot be part of the class that you begin to wonder: Was this the right move?
My dad has been in tertiary education for 15 or so years and I have been very critical of his lifestyle. Many mornings and nights we have argued over his way of being, how he prioritizes some things, and things in that accord. But after experiencing everything first hand now, I need to say to him (as I did)
I am sorry, I was wrong.
After trying my best, I focus on the problem students, something I have argued with him countless times. My focus is not on the students who want to be there.
I find it hard to focus on the work whilst students work on their phones or laugh in the back, again, to the detriment of those who want to be there.
I make questions tough to catch those who did not come to class, again, focusing on those that do not want to be there.
Am I becoming my dad?
That aside, I am wondering if I will survive academic life. I am teaching a new course, I am still developing the coursework from scratch. I need to do research and read, I need to do so many things. All the while my social life is non-existent except for finding the love of my life, @urban.scout. My golf is almost dead in the water and the writing is merely the 1000 or so words I write on Hive. I never read fiction because reading has become hard; I read so much during the day.
I question if all this is worth it?
Does your health need to be jeopardized for your work?
But this relies on the idea that I am doing all of this "for work".
I am not doing any of this for "work" (i.e., money).
My own research is flourishing. My academic writing is growing. My field is growing and I am on the brink of publishing the first works in that field. Will this be revolutionary? Everyone hopes that of their work. I am only human. It will probably not amount to anything but paperweight, but the thing is I did this work. I took the time and effort to produce it. Could someone else do it? No. Would someone else want to do it? That is still something I am figuring out. Silence can mean two things: a new field or one that people purposefully look over.
I hope that my survival in academic life will be based on two things: survival physically (emotionally and bodily) and academically (my work being published and accepted).
But this is a worry for the future.
All I know is that sitting for hours on end is not good. And this is what is happening at the moment.
My feet are swollen; and I am craving whisky.
Thank you for reading my mumbling. It is so strange how we find ourselves in situations we would not have dreamed about.
Happy writing and be safe.
All of the writing is my own, and the photographs are also my own, taken with my iPhone.
Put those feet up and have a whisky, that's what I say.
I would find it difficult to deal with students who are not paying attention, I would probably just ask them to either pay attention or leave.xxxxx
My approach is also the "just leave" one, if they do not want to be there we are wasting both our time. But the problem is then I can get in trouble and all the bureaucratic nonsense. Young adults are treated like children and we need to spoonfeed them otherwise [enter bureaucratic nonsense]. In my education, it was a lot stricter. If you failed you failed. Now, if a student fails, all fingers point to the lecturer (for some reason). Almost as if the student (without a degree) already knows the answer and their participation in class is good enough.
I also tend to focus on the problem students... The ones who don't show up to class, hand in assignments late, doing half the work, not participating... And with that you have the struggle students too, the ones who need extra explaining, more assistance with assignments, more time, showing up to the office crying, emails at 2 in the morning....
I never understood why lectures put more effort into these students, but after lecturing for just 2 years, I realised I do the same thing. I can't really say why? It's not necessarily my responsibility to get a student to put in the work, but it's still my responsibility to produce students and prepare them for the work field.
What you said about reading fiction is something I'm experiencing as well. I absolutely love reading, but haven't in sometime. I feel to drained at the end of the day from reading articles, writing research papers, dealing with students and teaching. When I get home my brain shuts down and even thinngs I enjoyed are to much for me... @technicalside has ask so many times why I'm not reading anymore or painting, even writing on hive is a lot these days. We put so much into our research and students that it consumes us. Don't get me wrong I love what I'm doing, I just sometimes wish it didn't take away from other things that I also enjoy.
I'll have a whiskey please, or rather a vodka. I think we both need it!
Exactly. It is just so sad that students don't always appreciate what they have. There are so many people who do not get into univ because they do not have the financial means and then you have students that can pay but flunk because of non-participation. (Plus, one year the students somehow got my number so I had WhatsApp messages at 2 am and not just emails haha).
Exactly, and I do not know how your system works, but for some reason the students after lockdown figured out how to militarise WhatsApp groups. So now, in a weird democracy in those WhatsApp groups, they unanimously vote that (i) the lecturer always marks wrong and they demand remarking, and (ii) deadlines are extended. Peak irony. As a consequence, even older lecturers (proffies) who have been in the system for so long, lower their standards because they are gatvol (tired) of dealing with these problems.
Exactly. I did so many things before teaching, now it is basically teaching, research, a bit of cooking, Hive, and then the rest of my attention to my girlfriend (who is luckily onboard with my attempts to teach and research haha).
Omw I'm also from SA!! So I assume we work more or less the same.
We also had WhatsApp groups due to covid. And unfortunately for me, since I'm the youngest in our department, I was picked at admin for the group. I now have 5 groups for students... 1 for Masters 2year, Masters 1year, Honours 2year, Honours 1year and my own module.
I'm constantly asked to move due dates, to change the outline, to explain via voice notes and and and.
We had a Prof that retired last year, she started giving away marks to the end of the year since students would complain and say they didn't understand the assignments.
I'm also lucky to have someone who supports my passion for teaching and research. There are days when I spent to much time on work and I feel like I'm neglecting my relationship, but his always supportive and encouraging.
I think we both face the same struggles in the academic world. Despite this, I'm still passionate about it. I think once the academic bug bites you, there's no going back.
Yes, SA born and bread. Living in the western cape at the moment.
Oh yes, so many students want extensions and extra marks and so on. It is really frustrating and not productive in any sense of the word. Extensions mess with my own research and students cannot think outside of their own perspective.
We are lucky to have partners that understand and who are supportive of our ventures. I do not think people really understand the type of work lecturers and researchers do and the impact it has on your body/mind.
Oh damn, so you run the groups?! The groups here are student prerogative. I never communicate anything via those groups because students see it as official communication and it is way too much responsibility to place on my shoulders besides the normal stuff haha.
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Too many distractions by the sounds of it, perhaps remove all phones before entering lectures. Most teaching or academic people I know of complain about the exact same thing, some are there to learn, many are filling the seats as their parents have money.
Yes! I've tried the no phone thing, it didn't help at all 😔. Sad part is I'm dealing with 25-40 year olds (I teach honours and masters), these are adults and they still act like high school kids.
We also have a lot of students on bursary. Or some send to Campus to make their parents proud. If you don't feel like putting in the effort, you're just wasting you lecturers time and those who want to pass.
An age group that should know better, then personally I would pay attention to those who do wish to study further, try get the others to the back of lecture hall where they can do as they please.
Patience of an angel I would not last an hour!
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The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the entitlement of these students who feel that they already know. Plus the money problem. Some of them are there because their parents pay. But I think the biggest problem is our society that deems degrees as tickets for jobs. No one goes to university to learn, they are there to get the degree because the job requires it.
Problem is, most students use their phones and laptops to make notes. So you cannot tell them to put it away or anything. And you cannot chase the problem students away because then you are the reason they will fail and the university does not want students to fail; and so on. It is really a bad situation. Or funny in some sense, but sad-funny.
Some will pass with flying colours being interested, realizing the wonderful opportunity they have been given. Always those who try the easy way, when there is no such thing, they fail normally. Really those who battle to grasp the concept are the ones everyone hopes find direction to pass.
Indeed. It is funny how there are always a couple of students who really find the work interesting and who engage with you. It is a delicate balance between burning yourself out for students who do not want to be there vs. those who actually value the stuff we want to teach them. I am still new in the space so I am working at finding that balance.
Knowing quite a few lecturing in University halls, all have the same problem.
I guess the students are just a product of the system. If we do not change the system, the students will always be a problem.
Too many promises were made that can never be sustained by small tax base, this is wherein the problem lies. This will never rectify until reason is met that working is a good place to start, educating first and foremost.