Like many, I entered academia hoping to spend my summers sipping boat drinks on a sandy beach while reading my way down the current bestsellers list.
Something that my advisor neglected to mention (among many other things) was that academics really don’t get summers off. We might not be teaching full time in the summer but we are working. For many of us, it is two months to cram all of the reading, prep work, and research we haven’t had time to do in the other 10.
Teaching. Almost every academic I know teaches in the summer. Economically, it isn’t feasible not to. Admittedly, my summer teaching schedule is lighter than a normal semester. I only have two classes and one of those is online. My online class does run the full 10-week summer session but I can (and have) teach it from anywhere with an Internet connection. My second class this summer will be an upper division Dark Folklore class. This one is a short second session, meaning it runs for four weeks in July. It will meet about five hours a day, two days a week. It will be a marathon.
Faculty development. I spent all last Friday learning a new teaching method. Generally, pedagogy is a snooze, but this was more than worth giving up my precious Friday for. Reacting to the past introduces RPG and into the classroom. Now I’m a long time, old school, pen and paper, gamer I’ve been with my current gaming group for going on 15 years and our most recent campaign is in its 10th year. The thought of bringing something like that into a classroom really excites me. Before you roll your eyes and wonder how students can learn by playing a game let me say that there is tons of research required by the students, they are expected to write position papers, and engage in debates over the topic. This is actually a much deeper learning experience than just sitting through a lecture.
Class prep. A good chunk of this early part of the summer is being spent prepping for that second session Dark Folklore class. This is a new special topics class that I’m teaching. I’ve taught the traditional folklore class before but this was the first time focusing on werewolves, vampires, witches, and the Fae. Granted, I done tons of research on each of these and even given academic papers on them, but compiling a manageable reading list and lectures is no quick process. I got about half of the assignments hashed out but none of the lectures are yet written. I need to kick into high gear and get working on.
Writing. As many of you know, I’m working on the second book in the Under the Moon series, Under the Harvest Moon. My goal is to have the rough draft of the manuscript done by August. Back in May, I went to New Orleans for a research trip. I visited some old haunts of Josh and Juliette’s but found new places for them to visit in UHM. I’m writing diligently and hopefully, you’ll like the results!
A little fun. It’s not all hard work, however. I have been watching way too much Netflix. Criminal Minds is addictive and there are so many episodes! And also working on my To Be Read bookshelves. I have read several fabulous books so far but I will be talking about these in another post.
So as you can see, my summer isn’t so lazy. How about yours? Do you have a great vacation planned or is it just work, work, work? Let me know in the comments below!