Separating work from home
Even though I have taught my currently assigned classes several times, I still find myself spending excessive amounts of time at home reviewing and changing my presentations to the detriment of my home life. Is this a never ending event based on this profession?
Eric, Thanks for sharing. Taking a step back, what I'm hearing is that you took the time to make an up front investment that now pays off repeatedly. As instructors, we've got to look for these kinds of opportunities. While not everything can be streamlined, some things can. Lesson plans are a perfect example.
Dr. Melissa Read
I've found that writing out a detailed and clear "outline" for my lesson plan works very well for this kind of problem. Once I've written it in a logical order that I can follow while teaching the class, each time I teach that class again I will just review my printed outline for about 10 minutes before class to refresh my memory. Occasionally I will update my outline if necessary. This means that I only have to spend time preparing for each class I teach one time. That helps reduce the stress of having to prepare for it over and over every time I teach that class again. This method has been working very well for me so far.
It is hard. I also end up doing a lot of school work at home and at work. I feel there is a better way to manage time.
That sounds like a wonderful system Christine. I like the idea of chipping away at tasks gradually throughout the week and then doing weekly reviews. Helps you stay detail oriented but at the same time, gives you a high level and strategic point of view.
This is a great trick, one that i use regularly as well. I try to keep notes on each class i teach adn update them at the end of a week so it is easy to go back and make small changes while leaving me with plenty of time to take care of the other aspects of my life as well.
it is very important to separate work from home-not always easy to do. Although the students need you, your family needs you too. This may sound cold, but if you stress yourself out to the point of illness, you are not being fair to yourself or your family. If you use your time wisely, your work should be done at work. The plain fact is- if you die, there will be someone in your seat the next day to continue with your job, who will take your place at home?
I agree, a person must seperate their work from their home life. Bringing stress home with you can effect everyone in your family, especially when children are involved. Also, bringing stress from home to work can and will also effect your job performance and can hinder student to teacher relationships. As parents and educators, we are mentors to our students and to our children. Using our time wisely through planning and good time management, we can concentrate more energy on the more important things in life.
Sounds like a great strategy Katerena! By keeping work out of the home, you find a wonderful way to keep work stress out too!
I do not grade papers at home, make test at home, or try to do anything at home. I find that if you start that then you in my opinion become consumed by work. Teaching is part of my life but it is not the totality of my life.
This is true Cynthia. It's not just about keeping current for our students. It's about keeping our minds active and truly enjoying new findings in our fields as the years go by.
I also have found that by resurecting lesson plans after having taught courses many times are a great help. Tweaking the lesson plans here and there make them fresh and new and keep them interesting for me to teach and the students to learn, which gives me more of a home life.
Once I have taught a class at least once, I am able to reuse my lesson plan for each new semester. Sometimes I add or remove information, but it becomes much easier. I find I have to spend less time working on my lesson at home.
I hope not Josette. Your situation sounds tough! Try to spend time building evergreen / foundational course content that can be used year after year. Then each semester, keep it fresh by adding new insights from your field as they emerge.
