next »

[02824219]

I am revising a manuscript for a top-tier university press (R & R).
I was planning on completing the revision over the summer but did not.  (Both of my readers from the press had objections about one of the chapters and I had spent most of the summer revising it.  Then, to ensure the quality of my research, I had a prominent scholar read it who is a specialist on the subject matter. Based on his comments, I had to completely rewrite the chapter.) To make a long story short, the rewrite delayed my plan to complete other revisions I had wanted to make.

I worked so hard in the summer that I hardly took any days off.

Now, school has started.  I have a 4 course teaching load.  I want to continue to work on the revision of my ms so that I can produce good quality work and resubmit it around the end of this year.

The problem is, I already feel very exhausted.  I plan to take 2 weeks off (only teaching, but not working on my project) and continue to work on my research for an hour 3 times a week afterwards.  (Now that I have gotten into the flow, the revisions have become a lot easy).

But I am very worried that I might be burning the candle on both ends and ultimately jeopardize my health.  Yet, on the other hand, for various reasons, I feel I have to finish the revision and resubmit to the press around that time.

Does any one have any good suggestions about what I should do in terms of time management or recommending special remedies to restore my health and help me stay fit.  Any advice is much appreciated.  Thanks!

[zharkov]

How much time are you putting into teaching?  How much time do you need to put into teaching?

Note that these are two different questions. With a 4 course load, you need to be in the classroom 12 hours. Can you limit your prep time to 12 hours per week?  Can you try it as an experiment for a couple of weeks?

One trick is the "fewer papers and essay tests; more scantron tests and student in-class powerpoint presentations."  Another trick:  For an intro level class, rely on the textbook, the instructor's manual, and  the publisher provided powerpoints for your lectures.  The learning outcomes for this level of course are really just basic terminology and concepts. You probably don't need to prepare your own custom lectures.

[larryc]

Library days and movies are other ways to carve out more research time in your semester, and can be pedagogically quite sound with a little prep work.

There are over 100 waking hours in the work.  Surely you can work on your writing for more than 3 of them!

[02824219]

Dear Zharkov and Larry C,

Thank you for your advice.  I agree w/ both of you in spirit that you have to plan your teaching in strategic and "energy-efficient" manner by getting students involved more in class activities and replying more on technology.

Here is my specific situation and see if both of you can give me some concrete suggestions.

Of the 4 courses I teach, two are first-year practicum that I have taught for quite a number of years.  Very little prep time.

I am teaching two new preps, both are upperclass courses.  I anticipate I will spend a total of 10 -12 hours each week on preparation(i.e. reading the textbooks, making notes and going over the notes before class).

There will be no tests at all.  For one class, I require them to hand in 2 book reports (10 pages each) and a final paper (10 pages).  For the other class which is a research method class (mostly qualitative), I will require them to write and present 3 papers (length to be determined).

I have thought about designing a number of class activities to give myself time to catch my breath:  for one class, I will ask student to student-teach for half of the semester, and we will show 2 movies.  For the other class (research method), I will ask students to peer critique their classmates' papers twice in the semester and ask each student to have a deconstructed presentation of their final papers.

The problem is:  I am working in an institution which gives paramout emphasis on the quality of teaching (unfortunately mostly based on student evaluations).  In my first year here, I got negative evaluations from one class out of positive reports from 3 other classes.  At the beginning of last year, the faculty senate wrote up a very harshly critical evaluation of my teaching.  So, student evaluations of my teaching this year is going to be crucial for me (though last year, I made every attempt to strength my teaching).

If both of you and anyone on the forum have better suggestions and advice, I will be happy to learn about them.  Thanks!
ngu

[untenured]

Congrats on the R&R and my sympathies on the exhaustion.  We have all been there at one time or another and no doubt you must be feeling rather low right now.

It sounds like you thoroughly and skillfully completed a necessary revision by going above and beyond the call of duty.  Revising a chapter from scratch, even when a prominent scholar says to do so, is a praiseworthy act that shows you are a hard worker.

Perhaps I missed this in your OP, but what is the book deadline?  The fact that you did not meet your internal schedule I hope does not penalize anyone else's timeline.  Can you give the revision a break even though it might take longer than you expect?  Perhaps you can tell the publisher exactly what you have been up to?  I surely would be impressed, maybe the publisher will too.

Good luck and I am cheering for you.

Untenured

[prof_d]

So, 12 hours in class, 24 hours in prepping the new courses (I agree with your assessment on time), let's say an hour per student during the term/semester for grading and office hours.  [In which, of course, you should be revising the ms--unless you have regular long lines waiting to see you even when papers and exams aren't due.]  So, let's say you have 45 hours week of teaching-related activity. That still leaves at least 5-10 more.

If you do a revision plan--a kind one to yourself, not a hell-bent for leather ride--you should be able to guestimate milestones for the rest of the revisions.

I hope the new courses are related to the book, that way you can get the pleasure of getting new insights from your students.  I ended up adding a chapter to a reasonably successful book due to undergrad input on a draft.  That will also be something you can tout at annual review time.

It's amazing you have come this far, with that kind of teaching load and that kind of college environment.  Ultimately it will make the teaching more effective, even if your senators are (apparently) threatened by your view that research and good teaching can and do go together. Don't lose the faith in that viewpoint.

Take that two week break.  Then spend two or three more weeks thinking through the revision plan.  Then revise.  It is easier said than done, but you seem motivated.

[zharkov]

About your teaching, focus on the specifics in the evals (student and senate). The improvement plan for too much lecturing, say, is different that a plan for unclear grading.  Asking students to student teach would, IMHO, hurt your evals.  Also, my gut feel is that your student workload seems high, but I don't know your field or institution.  One paper/presentation seems OK, but three seems like a lot, unless the course is a senior seminar/capstone. Also, to state the obvious, the more you have students write, the more time you need to devote to grading papers and giving feedback.  Just things to consider.

[placid_casual]

I agree with much of the advice so far, and would add that if you have a book with a top university press and enjoy research, there is no reason you should stay at a school with a 4-4 load, especially if they do not appreciate the effort you are putting in to being a proper academic rather than just teaching.

[02824219]

Dear Untented, Prof_d, Zharkov (again) and Placid,

Thank you all for your supportive, kind and gentle words.  I could not help crying when I read your comments (Though as a woman, I rarely cry.  And I have never cried since I came to work in this institution).  Please allow me to feel a bit sentimental today because I have overcome a lot of trying experiences in the past two years and still foresee a few more rough spots on the horizon.  The support of you all has rekindled my spirit and will keep me going.

About the timeline of my revision, my editor from the press has been understanding and supportive (though I don’t know how he will react when I tell him I have to postpone the resubmission).  My advantage, though, is that my project is a critique of an on-going religious phenomenon (of an international nature) and I expect that there will be sustained interest on this topic.  In addition, because of the field I am in, my scholastic analysis provides an unique angle to treat the issue.

Yes, I will work out a carefully contemplated revision plan.  I certainly will take time to reflect on how to make the revisions (more efficiently but in good quality).  Thanks for the sound advice!

No offense, Zharkov.  But I am not sure I want to read or go over the evals of either the students and the faculty senate.  I am a woman, non-American, progressively minded and very intellectual.  In addition, English is my 2nd language.  I speak it fluently but w/ an accent.  I write well but still make ungrammatical mistakes (as you all can tell from my email).  But I have also traveled widely (as a former diplomat), and I am outspoken (lacking the sense of humility some Americans expect of foreigners) and self-assured (having attended two prestigious graduate programs in the States).  No matter how hard I have tried in the past, there have always been students (and faculty members) who do not like me.  I gave up winning their approval a long time ago.

Yes, I have future plans.  I like to teach but also like to do research.  But above all, I want to be with colleagues who are secure and comfortable in their own skin. I want to make friends with a few colleagues whose face lights up when they see me (figuratively speaking).  And finally, I want to have colleagues who are forgiving when I make social faux pas (not of any serious nature).  I will solider on to work toward that goal!

Thank you all for your support!
Not Giving Up

[untenured]

Aww, shucks, you sound really nice.  If you were on my campus I would invite you to tea.

Good luck and keep us posted as to what happens!

Untenured

P.S. Who is Untented?

[02824219]

Hi, Untentured (or as untented in my previous email),

Thank you for your response.

At the expense of not offending others and not sounding cheeking, you were actually among the few whose response to my email really touched me.

I dont know what field you are in, but you seem to have the ability to understand my predicament and agony (when it comes to my project) really well.

Yes, I will be delighted to meet you for tea if I join your school or work in the same town.

I will keep all of you posted about my progress!

Thanks a lot!
ngu