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Flex Time

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Jun. 26th, 2008 | 03:03 pm

 

Another difference between industry work and teaching is there seems to be a lot of down time in industry. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have as much responsibility as the people who work here full time or if the down time is real.

 

At school, something is happening every minute of the day. Class time, break time, lunch time, before/after school, as long as I’m on campus, there seems to be someone or some thing that needs my immediate attention. Days seem a lot more dramatic at school.

 

I guess some of you are feeling the same way since several people have commented about the wonders of flex time. I’m trying to relax into that too. It feels funny to be sitting reading or working at a computer without someone running in. So much of what I’m doing is solitary work, and it doesn’t require that I stay with one task for more than a couple hours. I can meander over to the lab and practice on the machines, or I can pull out a User’s manual or text book and read for a while. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss the drama!

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Comments {3}

Gina

(no subject)

from: [info]gmcbella
date: Jun. 26th, 2008 10:40 pm (UTC)
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I'm with you! I like to be BUSY all the time, and at school, I always am. At my fellowship, there's a lot of downtime, so I started bringing in other work to do. There are a lot of units that I've been wanting to spruce up a bit, so I use my downtime here to get some of that done. Or if I just need a break from what I've been doing.

I think that as teachers we're used to being busy all the time, and we have to try to welcome this more relaxed mode that our summer fellowships provide to us. It is our summer vacation, after all!!

It sounds like you've been putting your downtime to good use, so keep it up! Plus, if we really need some interaction, we always have this blog or the AOL IM to keep us busy, right? ;)

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cybercontessa

Condtioning...

from: [info]cybercontessa
date: Jun. 26th, 2008 11:05 pm (UTC)
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It is the nature of our jobs to be 'busy' all the time. I think that, in the classroom, we are constantly scanning, checking, presenting, clarifying, reacting and intervening - in addition to teaching, that there really is no 'downtime'. If we have a moment to stop, there is inevitably a student asking a question for for help.

Every business has it's own culture. It's amazing to see people where I work just looking at the screen. They're busy but using a different part of their brain.

I've worked as an administrative assistant and word processor and that job is incredibly busy because you are answering phones, typing a report, letter, memo, creating a spreadsheet or whatever and filing stuff. You have deadlines imposed by whomever you're supporting. I remember one time my supervisor gave me a 20 page report to type at the end of the day, told me I had to have it on his desk the next morning and then he proceeded to leave for the day! I got up to leave as well. When he asked me where I was going, I said that if he didn't think it was important to stay and to finish this project, I didn't think it was that important either and would get to it in the morning. He stayed.

It's a matter of perspective.

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deb575

Re: Condtioning...

from: [info]deb575
date: Jun. 27th, 2008 04:44 pm (UTC)
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You are my hero. Your way of dealing with your supervisor was so healthy and direct. Great boundary setting. That is something I am working on. Often I will to do what people ask without considering if it is reasonable for me. I think many teachers are like this. Whether it is advising for a club, sitting on a committee, or doing extra duty, teachers tend to do it out of a sense of duty. I think that is one of the reasons our salaries are so low: teachers do what is necessary without insisting we get compensated for it. When I been teaching for 5 years, I calculated that I worked 70 hours a week and was earning $ 25K.

I know teachers aren’t in it for the money. We do have noble motives for what we do. However, I think that we need to set boundaries so that we get valued. Being valued as professionals was brought up in the Dress Code Thread. I agree that appearance does influence how people treat each other, and I think setting boundaries around what we do also influences people’s perception. Society appreciates what they spend money on, and they take for granted what if given to them freely.

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