Health Issues & Teaching

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I recently found out that I may need surgery for a problem that has been bothering me for the past few months (which may explain my mood). Due to this issue, and of course the pandemic AND the overload and the other typical crap, I am behind on grading, etc. I've managed to post content in a somewhat timely manner, except for this week (which I hope to have it all up tomorrow).

Should I tell my students, in vague terms, that I have a medical issue that has affected my performance?- or should I just suck it up and push through until the end of the semester?

Unfortunately, final exams start this weekend (don't ask) and will continue next week. My main concern is- What do I do if I need surgery before the end of the semester, what will I do if I can't post exams, etc.?

Most of my material is preloaded and I plan to slowly chip away at it until I have the next medical test this week (hopefully). After I have the test, I'll have a better understanding of what will happen next in terms of finals. I may also need to 'wing' a few things and just push through.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks.

[arcturus]

Dear EPW - I am sorry to hear that you are feeling ill. You must take care of yourself first. No one else will. In terms of the workload, you should try your best to finish out the semester, with a priority on making certain that the students can complete the work (i.e., write the exams and have them ready in the LMS as first priority, grading as second, new material as third). You should also be in conversation with your department chair regarding finding someone to take over your work to finish out the semester. This will be easier if it is just grading, not creating exams. Keep in mind that the more advance notice they have, the easier it will be to find a solution. For context, if you were hit by a truck tomorrow, they would have to find someone to finish out the semester for you. In the current case, you are merely being a human, with the associated frailties, and they should try to work with you to help both you and your students finish out the semester successfully. I hope you recover quickly, and, again, I am sorry to hear that you are having health problems.

[nonsensical]

I'm so sorry that you aren't feeling well. In a similar situation, I'd probably tell my students something vague about medical problems so that they don't think I'm flaking out on them. But, it is totally up to you; if you don't want to share any information with them, that's also a 100% valid choice. I hope the medical issues are resolved soon.

[spork]

Sorry you're going through this added stress at the end of the semester. I've had this situation crop up personally and as a department chair with a faculty member too sick to complete the semester.

I recommend making the final exam as easy as possible for you or, if needed, someone else to grade. Multiple choice questions auto-graded by your LMS. A simple rubric. Etc. If the final exam environment is "take home" without proctoring, allow students to access it as early as possible so that some will complete it early.

You can always cut some of the remaining assignments from the schedule to lighten the grading burden; students will thank you for it.

Give your department chair a heads up about possible scenarios.

I don't see any need to go into detail with students beyond assuring them that their performance will be assessed fairly and accurately once you know if you'll be out of action at the very end of the semester.

[Caracal]

I think it is a good idea to be up front with students that you've had some health issues. This semester, I'd put that in the context of telling them that they should make sure to let you know if they are having issues and that you want to be flexible. People are mostly going to be sympathetic to this kind of thing, especially if you make it clear that you need some patience and flexibility from them and you're going to give that in return.

It sounds like you don't necessarily need concrete plans yet, since you don't really know enough about the timing. I agree about the heads up to the chair. If you have things ready to be posted, it would be a good idea to give your chair or someone else the ability to access the CMS so they could post exams if need be.

[the_geneticist]

As others have said, your health is your first priority.  Talk with your chair about your options, especially if you will be unable to return to work right away after surgery.  You might want to talk with someone in your Human Resources department about what options you have for leave: short-term disability, paid leave, unpaid leave, etc. 
Realistically, unless your health issue is suddenly life-threatening, you are unlikely to get surgery in the next few weeks.  These things take time with testing, consultations, insurance nonsense, operating room availability, etc. 
Plan out a simplified way to finish the semester.  And I would tell your students that you've been having some health issues.  Tell them you know you're behind on grading because of the health problems and give the a realistic update for when they will get their grades/comments/etc.  Honestly, they will almost certainly be really sympathetic.  I got my highest teaching evaluations ever the term I was horribly sick. 

[clean]

Yes.  Alert the chair.  There may be some help available somewhere.

The Worst Case would be that final grades may need to be delayed and the hassle of grade change forms when you are able to do them.

IF you can make the final multiple choice, that would help you, especially if delivered in the LMS so that it is automatically tabulated and entered into the grade book.

I hope that you feel better soon. I hope that you can delay the surgery too... not for the time off, but until the start of the next term. It is easier to be out at the beginning than at the middle or end.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Thanks everyone. I had some testing today and, unfortunately, need to have more testing. So, I guess it's a wait-and-see-what-happens kind of thing.

[AmLitHist]

Sending good thoughts and wishes for good test results, e_p_w.