Well, I can put this term into the "Blows Honking Chunks" pile. It started off bad and just seems to get worse. Not just for me, but for everyone on campus.
The crème de la crème was that a faculty member resigned with only three weeks left in the term. No notice or anything. The faculty person claims that another employment opportunity surfaced and it required leaving immediately. To make matters worse, the faculty person left very little instructions for completing the six courses that she taught. And, she has virtually no grades for these courses.
Who the F**K does this?
Since I am the only person available during the day who is somewhat qualified to teach two of the courses, I was asked to fill in for a couple of days until a full replacement can be found. I have not touched this subject in about 20 years. It has not changed much; theory is theory. But, it has been a nightmare having to keep up with my own classes, my administrative duties, and now this.
Needless to say, I am exhausted. I also have a cold.
I was offered the chance to teach the two classes for the remainder of the term which is three weeks. I would be paid for my time. My response...
Hell-to-the-no.
Getting back to my previous question, who does something like this? How freakin' unprofessional is it to just up and leave without finishing what you start? OK, there are some things that cannot be helped, i.e. illness. But, any future employer would be OK with a person finishing his or her responsibilities to their previous employer. If I were the new employer, I would worry that this person would pull the same crap on me!
And, what about not at least doing your due diligence before you leave? No guidance or anything? No grades? Seriously? This is not like law school where the only grade one has is their final. This is undergraduate, two year school. Grades matter. The students suffer in the end.
I am not one to wish any specific harm to anyone, But, I do believe that whole concept of karma, what goes around, comes around, etc. This person may have that coming in spades.
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
Paws to Consider
My Sister's Keeper
4 comments:
You hit the nail on the head...very unprofessional and I suspect the new employer will in the end get the same treatment from this employee. Your college doesn't have the professors submit class outlines, etc. to administration for just in case scenerios like this. I mean things happen...ie-accidents etc. and I would think that a class curriculum should be in place for these types of situations. At the very least you or anyone else could have looked at this outline, etc. to see what was done and kinda where to progress from here.
Ouch, definitely off-the-wall unprofessional. Even if the new employer required immediate start date (highly unlikely), (1) not having grades three weeks before the end of semester is weird and (2) alternative arrangements could have been made.
By the way, we are required to post early alert grades (1/4 into the semester) and midterm grades. Maybe your school should consider a similar policy? It's common sense to most instructors but having a mandatory requirement takes care of a few individuals like the one your describe. They should not be teaching at all but that's another discussion...
that's pretty awful. I've heard of it happening in a general sense, which is why some places don't pay adjunct 1/2 the money until it's over. But this was a FT person? Either way...not cool. Ever time I go on the job market I think about how I'd handle things if I needed to leave during a semester. I have everything organized and couldn't imagine not telling someone where my classes were at.
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