sab·bat·i·cal
səˈbadək(ə)l/
noun
- 1.a period of paid leave granted to a college teacher for study or travel, traditionally every seventh year.
As most of you know, my husband, Loy (a/k/a "The Big Kahuna) teaches at Nebraska Wesleyan University. He's been there for somewhere around 20 years now (it's hard to pinpoint just how long because he was part-time adjunct teaching for a while and we never know when to start counting!)
Anyhow, NWU has some very nice PERKS. Tuition Exchange Program for Lex to go to Baylor. Free tuition for the boys. (At one point, the university had to publish a report listing how much everyone made...Loy counted as the highest paid professor for 2-3 years, only because we had THREE kids in college at the same time!) Free tuition for me as I explore whether I want a second bachelor's degree in Social Work.
But, one of the nicest is the sabbatical.
NWU allows the professors to take a sabbatical every sixth year!! Now, you may picture a hammock and lemonades during that year. Not quite...you have to convince NWU that the research/teaching/writing/studying/whatever will somehow benefit the university. We had our first sabbatical back in 2010-11 and spent the year in England.
So, the time has come for another sabbatical year. Yes, already.
Most people think of "sabbatical" and think it would be the greatest invention on the face of the earth. And it IS pretty wonderful, but it's not without it's challenges. As the spouse, I have to put my whole life on hold for a year (waaaaaah! poor, pitiful me!) You can't hold down a job while your spouse is off galavanting around. You find yourself measuring time by sabbatical stages..."We'll be just done with this trip and ready to start that trip at that point..."
I dragged my feet. I said I just couldn't spend more than one month outside the country this time (my health and, more importantly, GRANDBABIES!!!) I can't be gone that long. I need to be within a quick plane ride home at all times!
Loy's sabbatical plan is, roughly, this:
Back in the day when we originally went to college (way back in the day) there was no internet, no email, no Facebook, no tweeting, and on and on. Now Loy teaches a Business Communication class and has no formal training in what to teach. This summer he is going to conduct a literature review to see what's been written on what employers want. That's Part 1.
Next, we will be traveling to different parts of the US, averaging one trip per month, and he will interview three different types of people: 1) alumni who are 5-10 years out of school...what did they wish they had learned about communicating in business?; 2) people who are doing the hiring...what do they look for in their new employees regarding communicating?; and 3) university professors who are currently teaching Business Communication...how do they teach that class? After gathering all this information, he will do a review of the current curriculum and see if and how they can improve.
I'm using this blog as a travel journal, so bear with me. If you don't want to read our adventures, go ahead and skip it!
The sabbatical officially began on May 14, right after graduation. We left a few days later to fly to Phoenix to visit my family out there. And scope out where we might stay when we go back to do research in January. (I'm using that "we" very liberally--this girl will not be researching!)
I alluded to this earlier, but I have decided to explore the Social Work arena, with an interest in helping the elderly navigate being elderly. I have a bachelor's degree in business, so this is quite a departure for me. I have told my family that I am just exploring. I am NOT going to count it as a failure if I take one class and decide I hate it. The classes meet once a week for 4 hours at a crack. We are trying to work many of the trips around these classes. I plan on taking the old laptop with me and studying while Loy is researching and interviewing.
Well, this blog entry is dull, dull, dull. But I'm just setting the stage...I'm sure we'll have many fascinating stories to tell as it all unfolds.
Until the next trip...
Kitt.
