Spring Break is getting closer!
Do you have any plans? Will you travel? Will you research?
Will anyone engage in 'Spring Cleaning?'
The bottom line is: Whatchya gonna do?
SO and I talked about getting some kind of major house project done over Break. We may try to sand and paint our garage door. We also want to do some light day trips just to relax a little.
This week is my Spring Break. Alas, I have meetings every day. But at least I can do them all from home, in comfy clothes.
Why, I won't even notice I'm on break. Being only employed part-time you see, there's hardly any work or time involved in the first place.
My private music students are in a couple of different school systems, and their breaks don't always align.
So it gets interesting. One has just taken off for a cruise (don't get me started, I don't know what their folks are thinking, either...) and the others don't break for another week yet.
Two others are in public school, and the adult students are parents of school-aged kids who sometimes have to re-set their schedules to meet their kids' needs.
So I have a slight decrease in a couple cases, and no change in others, one week, and then the reverse the next.
But that's fine. It's all more writing time.
M.
Finally finish that revise & resubmit.
Grade.
Go to art museum with wife.
Watch "Revenge of the Nerds" with my nephew.
Seattle.
Going on a short cruise, then a couple of days at Disney.
Please report back on the cruise and the Disney trip. (Before Covid, I had an annual pass for Disney, but generally found that Fall was my preferred time as February through April were way too busy for me).
Prices are still up there for me, at least the last time I looked! But I do hope that everyone has a great time!!
Quote from: clean on March 06, 2022, 11:44:00 AM
Please report back on the cruise and the Disney trip. (Before Covid, I had an annual pass for Disney, but generally found that Fall was my preferred time as February through April were way too busy for me).
Prices are still up there for me, at least the last time I looked! But I do hope that everyone has a great time!!
We're passholders, and have been twice (for a longer trip in December and then again in February) in the past few months (first time back since February 2020). So much of it now depends on how you roll. A lot of folks don't like park reservations, Genie+, and the rising prices. Others complain about rude guests, rude CMs, etc. We didn't see any of that. We did purchase Genie+ and made use of the Lightning Lanes most days. For Festival of the Arts in February we just really walked around World Showcase and took in some of the attractions that few people do. My husband doesn't ride coasters or anything that has a sharp drop (like Tower of Terror), though, so we're pretty boring park-goers.
I will let you know about the cruise (and feel free to PM about Disney or the cruise if you like). Our break isn't for a couple of weeks, and everyone is chomping at the bit to be done with the semester as it is.
Putting together some ikea furniture
Mostly I'll be writing and planning my summer research and vacation
Quote from: sinenomine on March 06, 2022, 05:35:02 AM
This week is my Spring Break. Alas, I have meetings every day. But at least I can do them all from home, in comfy clothes.
Every day of Spring Break? It's the norm where you are to schedule meetings during Spring Break? Glad that's not the norm where I work.
Quote from: Cheerful on March 06, 2022, 03:39:36 PM
Quote from: sinenomine on March 06, 2022, 05:35:02 AM
This week is my Spring Break. Alas, I have meetings every day. But at least I can do them all from home, in comfy clothes.
Every day of Spring Break? It's the norm where you are to schedule meetings during Spring Break? Glad that's not the norm where I work.
I got tossed into an interim Deanship in addition to my other work — all the duties, but no vacation time, sadly.
Climb the mountain ..... of grading. With some trips as incentives
On the term system there is no Spring Break. There is a week in which you frantically grade Winter finals and prep for Spring courses. One of many many reasons I loathe the term system.
Leading a field course to the tropics. This is the one that was axed 2d before departure in the early days of Covid.
Quote from: Istiblennius on March 07, 2022, 09:02:15 AM
On the term system there is no Spring Break. There is a week in which you frantically grade Winter finals and prep for Spring courses. One of many many reasons I loathe the term system.
By "term," do you mean "quarter"?
I've taught in a quarter system, it is indeed brutal.*
But I usually used "term" to mean "semester," by contrast.
Thankfully, I never had to teach in both set-ups at once!
M.
*My undergrad school. Ohio State, was on quarters, then, too, but many others were, as well. After dinosaurs stopped roaming the earth, I think they got on board with the others, of course. But it took awhile. - M.
March Madness on t.v., along with lots of TCM (Oscars month). Accompanied by finishing up a bunch of half-done crochet projects so I can start new ones. NO school work allowed.
(All this since it'll be too early and chilly to do much here in the garden.)
Don't be jealous of my sparkling lifestyle.
Very happy I'll be home for Passover for the first time in 2 years. Zoom just doesn't cut it.
Quote from: Puget on March 09, 2022, 01:19:54 PM
Very happy I'll be home for Passover for the first time in 2 years. Zoom just doesn't cut it.
Good news, glad it will work for you!
M.
Hoping to fall off the grid in the wilderness for a few days for some solo camping. This of course assumes I finally get enough TAs assigned that I can disappear for a while.
And sit in my hammock, battle the weeds in my gardens, and enjoy not wearing my work clothes.
Spring Break? What's that?
--signed, a person who just moved in January from a position at a university to a position at a for-profit company
QuoteSpring Break? What's that?
--signed, a person who just moved in January from a position at a university to a position at a for-profit company
Spring Break:
an economic benefit provided to generally southern, coastal communities provided by educational institutions. It is essentially a redirection of duties away from teaching to allow faculty and staff to catch up on tasks that the employer does not otherwise provide sufficient time to complete.
For profit companies, in contrast, allow their employees to actually not work and provide them a choice of how and when to spend something called "vacation time". "Vacation Time" is also paid, even though no work is required in return. Private employers believe that this time away from duties actually enhances an employee's productivity. (It is also a fraud detection tool... when employees are away from the employer, they are hampered in their ability to manage fraudulent activities, and as most tasks still need to be done, the substitute may uncover inappropriate activities).
Quote from: clean on March 10, 2022, 06:43:39 AM
Spring Break:
... It is essentially a redirection of duties away from teaching to allow faculty and staff to catch up on tasks that the employer does not otherwise provide sufficient time to complete.
...
Yup, that's pretty much it.
Quote from: paultuttle on March 10, 2022, 06:31:03 AM
Spring Break? What's that?
--signed, a person who just moved in January from a position at a university to a position at a for-profit company
Annual pay raises (and bonuses!) that are at least somewhat aligned with inflation rates? What's that?
-- signed, someone who thinks the private corporate sector is much better at providing annual raises than are universities.
Quote from: mamselle on March 07, 2022, 04:25:57 PM
By "term," do you mean "quarter"?
Yes - quarter system. Here we call them terms, so that's an interesting little vernacular quirk!