Kristina,
Glad you enjoyed the course and modules. BTW - honesty is the best policy. ;-]
I facilitate courses both onsite and online. The flexibility of online allows me a bit more legroom to balance work/life balance. I hold two synchronous chat sessions each week for each class and literally schedule in my calendar a specific time to check online each day for discussions and emails as well as grading and posting. If I did not use my calendar, I would probably be a bit lost. I even calendar working on my dissertation. Just like New Years Resolutions, it helps to write it down!
I also am prepared for Plan B. There are always situations in which we need to figure out alternatives. This has been a work in progress to maintain patients, flexibility and well - a good sense of humor :)
Wow - this is an amazing resume! I like your honesty about working on mastering the work/life balance.
Jennifer ,
If the school requirement is to post on the DB most days of the week - just post Monday, Wednesday and Thursday or something like that. If the students see you posting all the time, they will think less and let you do the thinking! ;-) Turn the tables! Take care and keep learning. It's what we all do.
Take care.
Thanks for the reply. I agree I put too much pressure on myself, creating the stress. There is a school requirement that we post on the DB most days of the week. So I aim for 2-3 posts each day but need to work on setting a specific time each day to check the DB, not hourly :)
Again, thank you. I am enjoying this course very much!
Jennifer ,
I think you are overdoing it and putting too much pressure on yourself. Answering students within 24 hours (not 1 or 2) is perfectly fine. Tell them when you'll check email (between 4-6 p.m. or whatever works for you) and tell the how long they can expect before they hear from you. Also, put some of the responsibility on the learner. They can reply to each others' posts for participation points. They can be in charge of a group discussion on the discussion board. You can let them conduct the discussion on the discussion board and you only post at the end to summarize all posts.
Hope this helps.
krystal,
Sound like you have a system that works for you. We all have to find that fine line and balance between work and life. Thanks for sharing.
This is an area I truly struggle with which is why I was so excited to see this course. I work full-time as my husband and I own a small business. So I schedule my teaching responsibilities during the breaks where we are not with clients. I then plan to work in the evenings and on weekends. This has led to burnout as I feel I have not had a weekend off in 12 years (the whole time I have been teaching). I don’t have a problem with completing the work, and have never missed a deadline and feel that I give students 100% of my attention. My challenge, I believe, is feeling like I need to be online 24/7 to grade any work that is posted (to keep on top of it) and to respond to student emails. Even though students might not expect a reply in 1-2 hours, I have this pressure on myself to reply that quickly. And I really don’t receive many emails- maybe just a couple a day. I feel “anxiety†when I am not able to login to the campus every few hours. I post on the class Discussion Board twice a day. I know I could reduce that to once a day and still meet the requirements of the school, but again I put this additional pressure on myself to be visible there twice a day. I would just love a weekend away with my family without feeling stress over not grading every few hours. I plan to check back on this thread frequently as you can see I need help…ha ha I do agree with what a couple others posted about being a speed reader. I have found that is a necessity!
I try to get everything done when the kids are at school or sleeping. I have found that when you work at a desk in a home office you must be organized. I am learning this the hard way at an old age, but it will be accomplished. I have increased my online workload and although I am accomplishing my goals I do not feel satisfied with my results. It still seems "down to the wire" and I am working to get more time management with my work. When my family is present I must say that they come first. So this motivates me to keep a schedule, have an organization chart with weekly activities and meetings in order to not feel stressed and tired.
Emily ,
Yes, we all have our challenges. Blocking the time is a good idea. We then have enough time to concentrate on something for a period of time.
Nice job.
It's certainly a challenge with 2 small boys. I have learned to block out specific hours in the day and week that I would dedicate to grading, posting comments on the discussion board, writing lectures, answering emails, etc. When I am working from home with my family, I go up to my office to avoid any distractions.
stacey,
We all have our schedules to deal with and it's good that you have figured one out that works for you. Thanks!
Theresa and Dave,
I try to make it on 5-6 hours of sleep, but it doesn't last long. BUT - don't wear yourself out. Thanks!
Hi Dave,
I hear you and the fact that I only require 5-6 hours of sleep really helps. I am up late and early in the morning and the house is quit and this helps me to knock out major projects. The rest is still a juggling act and I am not sure it will ever be mastered. Working from home has it advantages..you always feel you are cheating one of them, family and or work...
Theresa
I have pretty well tailored my work life around my children's schedules--when they're at school, I'm working. Because I know they'll need me after school to take them to soccer, violin, baseball, etc., I am motivated to complete all my teaching tasks during the school day.
When I have live chats for my classes at night, my kids are thrilled with the opportunity to "be on their own." To my 10 and 12-year old this means I'm not breathing down their necks to brush teeth and get ready for bed. And, actually, I've found that my kids are better behaved when they are given responsibility for themselves. In essence, I have discovered that when my work demands that my kids hold themselves accountable, as a family we all benefit.
Dave,
WOW! I have heard several of you discuss speed reading. Maybe I should try that. From what you have said in this posting, it sounds like you are balancing. Thanks!
Amy,
Wow - 4 hours blocks. That's probably more than most people can plan. It's good to do what works for you. Thanks for sharing.
Yvette,
You have some strategies that are working for you. I hope you learned a few more in this courses as well. We also all need some "me" time. ;-)
Geri,
We do have to learn to say no to manage our time. That is true. We need to think about our priorities and make good decisions. Thanks!
The truth is I'm a speed reader, hold two doctorates, semi-fluent in Spanish, married for 32 years with three grown children, get six hours of sleep...and I feel that I still haven't mastered the challenge of work/life balance.
