Monday, March 4, 2013

Overcorrecting Course

Last spring break was, to put it mildly, awful. I was feeling behind so when I scheduled all my course assignments, I had big projects all due the last day before spring break. Then I sat around alone in my apartment while it rained all week and I tackled piles and piles of grading and cried. It was not fun.

Spring break for this year is coming up soon and I have just looked at all my syllabi. This time around I have all of my big assignments, in all classes, due ---- yes, the Monday immediately after break.

What was I thinking? Couldn't I have gone for the happy medium and given myself half the assignments to grade over break and half afterwards?

No, because I am an idiot. And never let it be said that I do stupid things halfway.

3 comments:

Dame Eleanor Hull said...

You can make their break miserable, or you can make your break miserable. Save yourself; others you cannot save. Actually, I recommend having things due a week after getting back from a break (if possible: this tends not to work for Thanksgiving breaks) because a lot of the students won't work over the break, just throw together some crap the night they get back, and then you will be miserable grading crap. Alternatively, have work due a week before the break starts, and bust your butt to get it back before the break, so that they can "reflect on revisions" or "think about the next stage of the project" during the break itself. They won't, not consciously, but in some cases the unconscious mind will take something on board from the comments.

So what fun things are you going to do over break? Lots of feline entertainment?

Sisyphus said...

Job apps, since some places are finally allowing their community colleges to hire again. That and I've had several DVDs in their little paper envelopes on the table for *weeks* and I haven;t had the time to watch.

Anthea said...

Oh crumbs...I hope that did get some downtime and watched some of the DVDs in little paper envelopes.