Back at Work

[intertext]

First official day back at work today! Classes don't start till next week; in fact, today was mostly an excuse for the Dean's welcome back "luncheon" (don't you love that word, "luncheon" - such a posh name for what was actually quite mediocre Chinese food). Then some hanging about in the hallways schmoozing with colleagues I haven't seen for ages - longer than ages because I've been off for so long since my mum became ill.

I'm looking forward to teaching again. I have a dream teaching load this year - two online composition courses: one 1st year, one advanced 2nd year, which is new and I'm going to be trying using blogs and "Writely" for peer editing. Then I have two British Literature survey courses, parts 1 and 2 of the Beowulf to Virginia Woolf (except ours stops with the Victorians) running concurrently. I shall be teaching Spenser or Gawain in the same week as perhaps Wordsworth or Keats in the other class. Interesting. It will be nice to be teaching without as in the past year or so being close to a physical and emotional breakdown from stress and exhaustion.

Hip is holding up well. I'm glad to have two online courses, as I only have two days of "real" teaching per week, plus office hours. My classroom time is in the afternoons, which is good as I'm kind of low energy in the afternoon. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but I'd rather go and teach then, because it actually usually refreshes me, and do my prep work or marking, for which I need a more alert brain, in the mornings when I AM more alert.

Comments

[inaniac.livejournal.com]

So, tell me, what's a 'normal' contact load over there? Do you have a formula for allocating who's teaching what? It's all so confusing.

And congrats on your hip doing so well. Or is that you and your hip doing so well?

[lilyfriend.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear things are coming along nicely for you!

But just a week?? I need more time.. I haven't stopped stressing out over summer classes yet. Fall classes can't start now. lol.

Hmm, I shoulda taken the second year composition class with you! Got fixed on transitioning to UVic. Didn't know it at the time, but I need that class now. :)

Having to get 282 too. Mighta saved some money taking classes both places. Easy to walk to UVic though.. guess I'll have to stick with it. :)

Good luck with the new semester!