Thursday, December 03, 2009

Working World


For anyone, who like me, was fortunate enough to avoid the work world for a long time, I want to reassure you that you are not missing anything. Okay, maybe a paycheck, which is nice, and some work colleagues, which can be fun.
But I think when I tell you that the training class I am taking (required but without pay) is using words like pedagogy and Bloom's taxonomy, you'll realize how lucky you are to be cleaning toilets at home.
Here I am teaching 24 college credit hours, which means I'm grading about 60 hours per week, when one of the colleges decides all of its professors need a three-week training course that requires about five hours of work per week. I have to take quizzes and enter threaded discussions and, thank God, the webinar wasn't working so I got to avoid that.
Now I dream of the days when I threatened my children to get them to finish their algebra and sat around at floor hockey chatting with the other mothers. Sure, I worked writing articles for the local newspaper, but as long as I met my deadlines, no one was forcing me to jump through training hoops.
This afternoon I have a department meeting at the other college where I teach, but I don't mind these so much because A. I get paid, and B. It will be crowded enough that I can grade papers while the department chair talks. She's funny anyway, and, as you'll recall from an earlier post, she likes me!
If you have leisure time, enjoy it. As a matter of fact, enjoy some extra time for me.

5 comments:

Too Much Free Time Today said...

very funny - laugh out loud funny -oh yes and true.

Sheila said...

I am reminded yet again how much I really love my life (my rather poor life, but I can live with that.) :)

BFF said...

Oh honey I am right there with you. Despite meetings i still love my life. To quote Dave Barry "The number 1 reason the human race has not and will not achieve it's full potential - meetings (insert training here)

Stephanie said...

I second that notion Sheila.

As I sit here in my pajamas, casually reading your blog and contemplating my day, I do realize how lucky I have it right now not having to work while I attend graduate school (online no less).

I continually question the choice of whether or not to work, but it always comes down to choosing between my sanity and cold hard cash (i.e. financial stability). Thus far I have chosen my sanity.

Linda said...

I had those once a week when I worked. I especially hated it when I had to be in charge of a meeting. Gosh, that was stressful.

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