Ten-Minute Blogging: Flail, Flail, Flounder

Hello, I am briefly back!


I have gotten myself into a pickle next semester wherein I am teaching two lectures and four labs (yes, this is a totally unreasonable amount; no, I cannot now gracefully extract myself without making everyone angry, so, something to look forward to.)


My professorial partner in crime and I finished our outlining and grant-writing around Making This Class Suck Less - and it does suck less, even already!  I'm not sure the students really get the point - they mostly lack a frame of reference - but it will be better for them, truly.  I estimate I spent about 50 hours on it so far.  On the bright side, the front-loading was highly efficient!


Now I have several free hours a week without work to fill them...


Also, I'm still flailing professionally.  What am I even doing with my life?  Redesigning Science Course A to be more interesting and useful has starkly highlighted how Lab Course B (which I teach three sections a term of...) is... not any of that.  What's the point?  How much longer can I be cheerful about this darn lab? I feel like the answer is 'a very short time' and it's time to bow out.  But slowly.


A colleague has mentioned to me the possibility of a future job opening and I am deeply conflicted.  Is it better than nothing?  How much?  I don't know...


Meanwhile, the kids are old enough that they have lessons and games and parties and social engagements and it's a lot of work. 


On that note, a bell just rang (literally), and I must go pick up the smallest child and meet the others for a social engagement. 


Yours in confusion until the next dispatch-


J