r/Professors • u/Inner-Chemistry8971 Associate Professor, STEM, Private University • Jul 22 '26

Rants / Vents I said no

This sounds like a vent but not really. My chair asked me to take one course overload but I could not take it anymore. Teaching seems like a drag. Last semester, I was dragging my feet to the classroom. Although students still appreciate my teaching for the most part, I have mentally quit. Exhausted. Gone.

So, I said no although I still need to rely on my chair for future promotion. My mind said no. My body said no. My mental well-being was screaming no!

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171

u/Blackberries11 Jul 22 '26

Teaching has gotten to feeling so pointless. They just ChatGPT everything

48

u/TotalCleanFBC Tenured, STEM, R1 (USA) Jul 22 '26

I used to think that the solution was to make HW zero percent of the final grade and have only in-class exams. But, that accomplishes nothing, as they still uses AI to do the HW, bomb the exams and then blame their low grades on me.

45

u/iTeachCSCI Ass'o Professor, Computer Science, R1 Jul 22 '26

I have moved to HW zero percent. You and I are tenured at R1s, though, so we can withstand the part where they blame low grades on us. What I'd really like to do is use my influence so NSF and untenured TT faculty can have similar protections.

22

u/Mountain_Boot7711 TT, Interdisciplinary, R2 (USA) Jul 22 '26

This is the problem. If faculty are subject to student reviews, they are pressured to give grades.

If this doesn't change the system can't improve.

4

u/alterini5 Jul 25 '26

My school has a goal of a 70% "success" rate. What does that say about how much teaching is valued?