New Faculty Teaching Newsletter # 23 (March 14, 2007)
Spring break (or "Spring Recess" on the Academic Calendar) officially runs from Monday, March 26 through Friday, March 30. However, you will undoubtedly come across some students who are using the ancient and venerated Cancun-codex, which adds two days on either end of the break. Do not tear your hair; don't make yourself crazy by making important and rigid due dates on the Friday before or the Monday after, or thinking that all of your students will spend the whole break studying. There are faculty who successfully treat the Friday before and the Monday after as regular class days, which is probably the best thing to do. But it just doesn't work for everyone.
This may be a time to loosen a rule or two, since if you don't, you'll just have to deal with exceptions or missed deadlines. Some faculty like to get a set of papers before Spring break so they have a week to read them. But you might allow students to turn papers into your mailbox any time between Wednesday and noon on Friday. (Any later than noon, and there will be students indicating that they came at 4:59.5 and the office was locked, so it's not their fault). I used to lecture students who said they were going to be gone on Friday, to threaten and generally make myself sick, until I realized that a) it wasn't going to change their plane reservations; b) global warming was more important; c) it's their lives.
By the same token, in the past I would rail at those who missed the following Monday and who would email me asking what we did in class, after explaining that their flight had been a) cancelled, b) diverted, c) delayed, d) non-existent. Now I just figure it's their problem, although I certainly won't fill them in on what we did. I do give regular assignments over Spring Break, but I do not assume that student will do, or be able to do, any more than they could do between any two class days or over a weekend.
You might be interested in the fact that what to do before spring break is a universal question. I just witnessed a heated discussion on a faculty development message board that covered the whole range, from "How dare you not teach to your fullest capacity on the Friday before?" to "You're so wrong if you think anyone is paying attention, besides, I'm ready for a break, too."
As for what goes on in class on those days before and after break, consider activities and assignments that break your pattern but still achieve your goals (a good idea at other times in the semester, too). Perhaps a review or question-and-answer session, or an hour spent digging into some topic more thoroughly than you might do otherwise. Make it clear that these sessions will be particularly useful sessions, and keep your word. On the other hand, put yourself in their shoes. Before break, their minds might be wandering.
Of course, we're really talking about a small percentage of your students, but it can be enough to throw you if you're not thinking about it in advance. And remember that not all of your students are off to Cancun, or wherever. Many stay on campus and study or work, and some go off and do good. And remember, too, that this approach to Spring Break is just one version.
Although these newsletters try to take a dignified, serious approach to teaching, since this is our Spring Break Issue, we include a famous-on-the-net little piece, based on the New Testament's Sermon on the Mount:
"Then Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain and gathered them around Him. And He taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Blessed are the meek,
Blessed are the merciful,
Blessed are you who thirst for justice,
Blessed are you who are persecuted,
Blessed are the peacemakersŠ
And Simon Peter said, "Do we have to write this stuff down?"
And Philip said, "Will this be on the test?"
And John said, "I'm sorry. Would you mind repeating that?"
And Andrew said, "John the Baptist's disciples don't have to learn this stuff!"
And Matthew said, "Huh?"
And Judas said, "What does this have to do with real life?"
Then, one of the Pharisees, and expert in the law said, "I don't see any of this in your syllabus. Do you have a lesson plan? Is there a summary? Where is the student guide? Will there be any follow-up assignments? How will this affect the bell curve?"
And Thomas, who had missed the sermon, came to Jesus privately and said, "Did we do anything important yesterday?"
And Jesus wept."
In case you want to see your students-or their equivalents–I see that the Travel Channel will be hosting "Spring Break: South Padre Island" beginning March 3. On the other hand, it's probably better not to know.
Campus Tour of the week
For your spring break, go to the Botanical Garden. The collection is one of the largest and most diverse in the United States. In the spring, the large collection of rhododendrons will be in bloom, as well as many of the cactus and succulents. Take lunch.