Rachael Jurek
Find jurekrl on
  • Jurekrl
  • CV
  • Blogs
    • Interviews, research and teaching
    • Yikes!
    • RobBlog
    • Mom Blog
  • Talk to me
    • New Page

A Response to an email from Rob Hatch via infustionmail.com about Structured Variety

1/23/2014

2 Comments

 
My Response (to the original email below) :

Great thought piece. In my profession I must give the illusion of variety while maintaining absolute structure. As a college professor I must educate, interact and unfortunately entertain. Many students believe they detest structure and actually think they can (or are currently) avoid it in the future. Yet, if I want to throw a dash of variety, or change the course to bring in a relevant idea, they fault me for disorganization because it wasn't noted on the syllabus that was planned more than four months earlier. This is true even if they are given extraordinary opportunities.

This is why my job is so exciting. I need to assist many of these young minds into thinking for themselves while viewing structure and planning as an asset.

Personally I see variety with each changing semester. Each class dynamic is different and
 lessons planned months in advance must be changed minutes before lecture to relate to the world at large.

A word of advice to my fellow professors - have a detailed syllabus with grading and assignments, but leave some wiggle room with the topics and in-class activities. As long as you make a time-slot for interaction, you can give let them decide if it's variety or structure.


~ Rachael




The original email:

from - Rob Hatch via infusionmail.com

"I have a question for you, Jurekrl.  (Do note that this is a form email as I signed up for the Chris Brogan blog as jurekrl)

Are certain days of your work week more important than others?  

Here’s what I’m getting at.

Athletes practice. Often. Their days are structured. Their workouts are different each day. The intensity varies. Some even have, dare I say it, #daysoff.

Depending on the sport, athletes may have a day to focus only on form, or endurance, speed or strategy. Then they put it to the test. Maybe on a Friday night under the lights or on Sunday or even a few days each week.

Variety is the...

In larger organizations operational structure is imposed externally.  Monday may be filled with internal meetings or reports may need to be submitted by noon. Wednesday may be a day for smaller teams to convene. This creates a rhythm to the week and you can be asked to “perform” differently on certain days to serve the needs of the organization.

For some this might feel constraining. Others however enjoy the cadence, knowing what they are working towards, when to push and when to pull back a bit and attend to other things.

The variety an athlete uses to train acknowledges that there are many facets to her successful performance. It is built on the idea that the body needs variety in developing speed and endurance. She understands that not every day is all out. She works hard, but she’s preparing for something bigger.

Your week…

I’m curious how your week is constructed?  Is everyday the same for you?  Do you go all out or do you vary your workload throughout the week?  Do you give yourself practice days? Do you have days where you need to “perform”?

Let me know what YOU do and how it works for you.

-Rob

2 Comments
best essay writing services link
1/28/2019 12:08:14 am

I can understand all the pressure you are dealing with as a college professor. I feel that it's harder to be a college professor because you are dealing with adult students already. They have their own perspective on different things, and this might really contradict with your thoughts. Your reply was indeed a reflection of yourself, and I am happy to see that you were able to defend yourself the right way.

Reply
picbear link
9/22/2019 09:22:30 pm

I am so delighted I located your blog. Download nice picture of your idols on instagram, with my site. Coming soon.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I am assistant professor in the Journalism & Public Relations department at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.


    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    April 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    September 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Class Project
    Course Structure
    Ethics
    Getting Along
    Grading
    On-line Image
    Pr
    Prssa
    Self-branding
    Social Media
    Student Affairs Presentation
    Uwm
    Uwm Jmc 524


    RSS Feed


Proudly powered by Weebly