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[comp1]

I know what you mean, LarryC. I feel like I got bodyslammed the day after I pull an allnighter. I'm just trying to figure out whether the pressure actually makes me perform better or whether it's just my imagination. Once in a while, on a good night's sleep, I feel relaxed and ok, and somehow I think it takes away from my performance. On the other hand, with the pressure/tension/aches and pains of the allnighter keeping me alert, I often give good lectures on those (few) days.

Just something I'm thinking about. I know, logically, it would just be better to be probably rested, fed and prepared. :)

But I do feel a lot better knowing that you've done the allnighter too. Thanks for your post.

[pigletissima]

OP, I've pulled several all-nighters on grading, but not on class prep. You may well be more conscientious than I am, but I've found that prepping, and even grading, will take up all the time you give it, and in the beginning I surprised myself that I could put together a useful lesson plan in a very short time. One rather irritating discovery I've made is that some of my best classes—those in which the students came away most efficiently grasping the material—resulted from the least time- (and effort-)consuming lesson plan. I too find arugula's idea brilliant.

Anyhow, you're teaching the subject because you're the expert in it, and teaching it once will teach you how to teach it better in the future. I think you'll find that as you get more experience, you'll have more time for sleep. Then again, I'm sure most of us just pour that copious time back into research, new preps, or committee work.

[zrroctober]

Also, it is important to remember that it is not safe to drive after being awake all night.  This is taking a big risk with one's own life and the lives of others.

[history_grrrl]

I cannot stay up all night anymore (I know I did it studying for exams in college on a few occasions -- before I dropped out, that is).

However, I am willing to admit that, this semester, in my second year on the t-t, I have had three nights where I got 3-4 hours of sleep and then had to be on campus at 8 a.m. It was a combination of class prep and other work-related things; I have a lot of service responsibilities this semester and am having the damnedest time staying on top of everything.

[shamu]

No. However, I have stayed up late to grade tests/papers when I was on a roll (I tend to turn them around very quickly).

[martina]

Does staying awake all night worrying count as an allnighter? If so, I have had many of those... but as for physically sitting over my desk... I don't think I am capable of that any longer - and I don't  want to test it either.

[tamiam]

We should have an add-on to this thread: things that you can do with a class in a pinch when you don't have enough time to prepare as you'd like:

My list:

Print out a few different articles on the topic of the day. Have them read and summarize them in class, then break into groups to discuss.

OK, that's all I can think of at the moment. Seems like there are more, but I have no time right now.

[grasshopper]

Arugula - I'm tempted to steal your silent discussion idea, and pretend it's mine. After years of telling people to "suck it up" and just "get 'er done," I suddenly find myself in a position where I (gasp!) will have to suck it up and get 'er done. This silent discussion business is going to come in pretty darn handy.

You're a beautiful person, Arugula. You've just made my life a hundred kajillion times easier.

[lihtox]

I pulled an all-nighter during my very first teaching gig (a seven-week, four-days-a-week course).  While I was teaching that course I did nothing else (which was a problem because I was also a paid post-doc at the time, and my advisor thought I was going to be doing research too).

I don't take as much time to prepare now for physics classes, although I still do everything the night before it's due, which is a major character flaw.  However, this semester I am teaching astronomy for the first time, and that class regularly keeps me up until 2am preparing.  (I know how to make physics classes interactive, but I haven't figured out how to do it in astronomy, so I lecture a lot more--and with computer slides, which also take time to make.)  Again, this wouldn't be necessary if I got things done in advance.  I'm hoping that next semester (astronomy again) I will get a jump start on the process.