I am a community college professor, and this is day two of a new semester. I already feel a little like I am struggling, and not because I am off to a bad start, but because I am aware that there are challenges that come up again and again that I haven't addressed, and which make my work life less enjoyable than it could be. Here is a sample:
A 90-minute each way commute twice a week.
A 20-minute commute each way three times a week.
A class that is often stressful because of lack of student participation and challenging content
Stacks upon stacks of grading
The fact that teaching is a gas, and I let it fill too much space in my life
The daunting academic job search process
Juggling many non-teaching work tasks, both administrative and collaborative
Not enough time for The Things That Make Me Happy: my sweetheart, my family, my art...
Afternoon brain drain and absolute zombie days.
Over the next year, I will be selecting one project monthly on which to focus my efforts. I'll see how it improves my teaching practice and my general quality of life, following a model somewhat like that of Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project. I'll also be drawing from ideas pulled from ProfHacker and other internet sources. Posts will be made somewhere between weekly and monthly. I would also love your input, dear readers!
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