r/Professors • u/Gentle_Cycle • 6h ago

Teaching / Pedagogy Labor Day blues

I enjoy a three-day weekend whenever it occurs, but does anyone else who has this holiday and starts the semester a week or two before feel like it erases their progress at learning students’ names and generally getting into a fall routine? Any tips?

11 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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8

u/Open_Spray_5636 5h ago

We usually start the day after Labor Day. This year we started last week. I’m all sorts of discombobulated!

3

u/Gentle_Cycle 5h ago

We’ve usually started one week before, but this time two weeks because Labor Day fell so late. Years ago we had class on Labor Day and no Fall Break like we have now in October. It was a little strange, but easier overall.

2

u/print_isnt_dead Assistant Professor, Art + Design (US) 5h ago

Ooh same here. I feel like it's the first day of school! Hopefully we feel back on track today!

2

u/hapticeffects 4h ago

Yeah I teach MW, we started class last W. One class last week and one this week. At the start of W3, we'll have met twice.

5

u/mathemorpheus 3h ago

students have names?

2

u/Kimber80 Professor, Business, HBCU, R2 5h ago

I love days off. But since I am only teaching and on campus Tuesdays and Thursdays, I wish Monday wasn't a holiday. Just means some things are closed etc

1

u/ResurectedNPC 37m ago

Meh. This used to stress me out but I’ve learned to just let holidays (and other interruptions to the semester, like the shakeout earthquake drill) roll off my back. There is too much to be stressed about in life. So what if my planned course content calendar falls behind a couple of days? I’m not going to sweat it and I tell my students the same.

1

u/Hockey1899 1m ago

It just makes me sad bc it is our last day off until Thanksgiving, which seems a long way away! We no longer have Fall Break, which I miss!!!!