Uh oh

One of my colleagues - she has been an "instructor" which means it's a non-tenure-track position - is packing up her office. And the department chair alluded to "how are we going to cover her classes."

I HOPE it is not a situation of her having to leave (she's had a variety of health issues the past year, plus she and her husband had plans to move at some point) or her being let go. But somehow I don't think this is "long term planning of how we can cover her position STARTING IN THE SUMMER."

Crap. I haven't even processed the whole "she's leaving the department" thing in the social sense - this was someone I regard as a friend, even though we haven't hung out much lately because of our schedules. It'll hit me in a day or so, that I won't have her around to talk to, and then I'll be all sad about that. Right now I'm kind of in panic-mode about how we will cover her classes and how much extra work we are all going to need to do.

A quick check of the website - she teaches 3 sections of the intro majors class, plus five of the labs for that class.

I have never taught the class but I have taught the labs.

I am a bit fearful right now that "how we are going to plan" will mean people winding up with giant unpaid overloads. (I already have an overload this semester, but it's only 1 credit. Adding a section of the lecture would take me up to 16 credit hours).

If this was a "let go for budget reasons" situation, it's really unconscionable for the powers that be to pull it so fast. (If it's an "I have to leave for health reasons" I will pray for her and feel sad, but will be more understanding).

I could teach a lab section and I GUESS I would volunteer to. But I really don't want to teach the lecture section - there is one that would fit in my schedule, but it would be a new prep on top of another new prep, plus a class that is in the process of being highly modified. And I already do a lot in the way of "service" that some folks don't do. And I do more research than some folks.

And I was planning on starting piano lessons this spring, and if I have to teach 16 credit hours, there will be no way I can do that. I'll have to call my teacher and tell her I can't do it because I will have no time to practice. (And I may have to sharply curtail blogging and blog reading).

This makes me very sad. I hope we can line up some adjunct who'd be willing to do it but I'm not hopeful.

I hope I'm misinterpreting the office-cleaning and it's just a "I'm getting ready for when I leave at the end of this semester" and not "I'm going to be gone next week."

Once again: I know why things have to change but the eight-year-old in me is throwing a tantrum right now about the fact that they DO change.