WEEK ONE of my teaching-free semester

I think things are starting out pretty well. I only had four work days this week (the public schools get a 4-day weekend for MLK Day, so Friday my daughter was home), but was able to make some decent progress. I worked on a paper that is almost finished, then handed it over to my co-author for more input (I'll get it back soon), worked on some things for a proposal that's due 2/24- including arranging some meetings and other things, and started editing my draft dossier and annual report (both due next Friday). The last item is such a time-consuming exercise- compiling all activities of the past year (annual report) and incorporating them into my draft dossier (I had to do one last year, so I'm just revising at this point). Next week will also be a 4-day work-week, but I should have time to finish that paper with my co-author, finish my report and dossier (the departmental promotion & tenure committee gets it first), and hopefully make some progress on the other paper I wanted to get out this month. Then I can focus on revising that proposal, completing some more research for the two conferences I'm attending in March. If I can keep up my momentum, I should be able to really catch up on things this semester. I'm really seeing how much of my time is usually taken up with teaching! I think time is going to fly- especially with those conferences coming up... March will be gone before I know it. Whew!

No teaching, but LOTS to do

I am very lucky to be at a university where they allow untenured faculty a one-semester break from teaching. For me, that break is this semester. This time away from teaching classes gives me a chance to catch up on research that has been neglected during the last few hectic semesters, so that I can hopefully get tenure. The timing is great for me because I still have time to write a few more papers, submit them for review, make revisions, then have them accepted before I submit my dossier for review in Fall 2007. I'll write more about this later, but the dossier is basically a very detailed document of ALL the work I have done since being hired at Miami- including teaching (every class, teaching evaluations, numbers of students, etc.), advising of students, research (conferences, papers, and proposals), and service (committees, reviewing papers for journals, etc.). We turn in annual reports every year and starting last year I have also had to submit a draft dossier with this report. These annual reports are reviewed inside the department, by the college, and the provost's office. Then, they tell you whether you are on track and what you need to improve on. I am doing pretty well, but need to publish a couple more papers. So, this semester is a research semester. I won't have to prepare for classes, teach, or do any grading. I just need to finish up several projects, write some papers, write some proposals (to get funding for MORE research), and get caught up! Now, if only the migraines would cease and desist...