It’s a familiar beat in adventure stories. Weary travelers, trudging through the desert, believe they’ve spotted an oasis, where they can rest, hydrate and regroup. However, it isn’t real. Rather, it’s a trick of the light, also known as a mirage.
Much like that optical phenomenon, many look to summer and think they’ve spotted a break for faculty. However, the reality often couldn’t be more different. According to a recent poll, faculty is often hard at work during the summer months. Whether they are motivated by financial incentives, or are pursuing their own academic or creative interests, one fact remains: the summer break for instructors is, in important ways, hardly a break at all.
While this is something faculty are all too familiar with, here are some of the realities that people outside the higher education realm might not fully realize.
Second jobs, summer courses
Nearly all instructors who responded admitted to seeking paid positions during the summer, either by working a second job (25%) or teaching summer courses (58%). The financial advantages of this strategy are hard to deny, even as it may lead to burnout in the long run. Depending on where they live, college instructors looking for a second job during the summer may find a large slew of options to choose from.
Teaching summer courses may feel like a sure bet in comparison. Not only does the discipline fall within an instructor’s wheelhouse, it enables them to continue working at the same institution with which they’ve grown familiar. Of course, summer teaching comes with challenges of its own. These may start, but do not conclude with instructors needing to spread the word so that students know about their summer offering in the first place. The cancellation of a course students fail to take forces the instructor to start back at square one. If they are depending on that income, it may even be catastrophic.
There is also the matter of redesigning the course. Essential material must be covered during a condensed time-frame, while activities may be devised to bolster a sense of community within the classroom, and create new opportunities for student engagement. The abbreviated nature of a summer course may also lead to instructors needing to provide additional student support. Without making these significant adjustments, teaching a summer course may go from blast to bust.
Course planning
Regardless of their other goals, professors intending to teach in the fall must plan their courses. This process by itself can be a monumental task. An instructor may be excited to design a new course. It’s a chance for them to explore their area of specialization, and share their passion with the class. That doesn’t make the host of issues to consider less intimidating. Responsibilities include identifying learning objectives, aligning them with possible assessments and choosing teaching strategies. Once these steps are completed, the instructor must create a schedule, as well.
While teaching a course that’s previously been offered may appear less daunting, planning it is often strenuous, all the same. Revising a syllabus can be a major undertaking, depending on the changes necessary. Core elements of the course may also be revisited. Whether an instructor is teaching a new class, or one that’s appeared in the catalog before, course planning is almost certain to dominate their summer.
Writing and research
Respondents who declared they would spend the summer writing (8%) also have their own work set out for them. Depending on the kinds of financial assistance a professor has applied for and received, different categories of writing might occupy their summer months. A professor that has been awarded a grant may write a textbook. This is a unique process unlike other types of writing. It may include long-term collaboration with colleagues, adhering to publisher-imposed deadlines and complying with additional requests from the publisher once the chapters have been completed, such as producing exam-style questions and illustrated case studies.
A professor that’s been awarded research funding, meanwhile, may be eager to tackle writing their research paper. Research paper writing has its own hurdles. These begin with conducting a literature review, and creating a draft to define the scope of the analysis. Once the study or analyses yields results, the professor must write and rewrite sections of their paper constantly, in order to incorporate the feedback of their colleagues and coauthors.
While summer writing and research may be rewarding endeavors, they are no walks in the park.
Dispelling the illusion
It might be tempting to believe that instructors have the summers off. However, evidence reveals that this simply isn’t true. Whether they are working summer jobs or teaching summer courses, planning a new or previously offered course, writing a textbook or a research paper, instructors are hard at work. The only difference is they are completing tasks that may be distinct from, but still connected to, what they accomplish during the academic year.
It’s time to stop thinking of summer as a break for faculty and start seeing it for what it really is — dedication. Most instructors keep teaching because they care about their students and are committed to making progress in the classroom and in higher education overall.
We know instructors work tirelessly through the summer, but Science says, “take a break.” Studies show vacays improve your health and make you more productive. You can’t argue with Science. Just check out the article, “Enjoy Your Summer Break — Science Says It’s Okay.“
