I live a lie each day at work.
We're in the last few days of summer, and everyone in my department is bemoaning the start of the semester. "I can't believe how much I have to do," my colleagues complain. I nod in agreement, but I don't quite meet their eyes.
I type away at my computer, occasionally interrupted by a coworker popping in to say hi. "I'm so behind! I don't know how I'll get my syllabi done!" My coworker doesn't wait for a response, so I can just smile and try to look sympathetic (or is it empathetic?).
The truth is, I'm living a lie.
I'm not overwhelmed by the start of school. I'm not behind at all. I have three syllabi written, and slides for my lecture classes prepped through Labor Day. I have multiple problem sets and their corresponding keys written. I've even written the first exam for one of my classes.
What's the trick? I finished my summer class, took a four day weekend, and then needed a break from research. When I actually WANT to do class prep, I can do it pretty damn efficiently. And I'm much faster than when I first started teaching. I mean, holy shit.
The other thing that motivated me? FEAR. I hate the feeling of never quite being caught up, and the last two fall semesters I've had new-to-me classes to prep. Back then, I never got ahead on my class prep, and many mornings I was prepping slides or notes right up to the bell. That is NOT how I like to operate.
I know I can't be the only one already prepped for the fall (Dr. Pion, for example, admitted being ahead of schedule in the comments on this recent post), but I sure do seem to be the only one in my department (maybe institution) who is ahead on the semester. For now, I think I'll let my coworkers go on thinking that I am just as behind as they are.
