major_clanger | The next time I take up a teaching commitment...

...I'll remember that every hour of lecturing typically takes six to eight hours of preparation in terms of reviewing the subject matter, planning the lesson and preparing a presentation (certainly if you're like me and try to produce engaging and interesting alternatives to Death By Powerpoint).

I am teaching at Exeter two hours a week, plus an hour's seminar. Even though the latter takes rather less preparation, and I only have to prepare a new one every other week (half the class does a seminar each week) that is still about 20 hours a week, coming out of evenings and weekends. OK, I get a fair bit done by thinking about how I'm going to tackle a subject whilst I'm on the way to or from work, or shopping, but even so this may explain why I spent quite a while working in the corner at Conrunner last weekend, or why I took my laptop with me this weekend when I visited my mum to do a long-planned session sorting out her accumulated paperwork.

Hopefully this will get a bit smoother as time goes on. And I am really enjoying the teaching, even though it does involving being out of the flat by 6.15 on Monday mornings to make sure that I get my train to Exeter in time to teach at 11. Also, the pay is good (allegedly - my contract is still stuck in University admin hell) and if I ever want to apply for a teaching job the experience will be invaluable. For now though, if I seem to go quiet, this is why!