The weeks after spring break are often hectic, and this April may feel tougher than usual.
April is always a difficult month on campus, with spring break over and the rest of the semester — the busiest time of the academic year — looming. This year, some academics didn’t get a spring break. And the stresses of pandemic teaching and life mean most professors and administrators just want 2020-21 to be over, which may make these weeks seem harder than ever to get through.
April is the point when the crush of new obligations and time pressures often occurs in courses. As the semester’s end draws near, you feel an increased urgency to ensure that you have accomplished all of the course goals. No matter how well you have planned and executed a course, you may get to April and think, “But wait, we have completely neglected to talk about X!” It’s also the month when you face a mountain of grading as big projects and major papers come due, not to mention exams.
A similar mania for cleaning up unfinished business seems to grip the souls of committee chairs this month, as they perceive the window of opportunity closing to conclude any necessary work for the year.
However, another set of events that crowd the calendar every April, while they involve plenty of work, can also be a source of joy and affirmation. It is in such student-related gatherings — ceremonies to honor stellar students, advising sessions to help students plan for the future, meetings to discuss recommendation letters — that you may find the spirit and energy you need to survive the maelstrom of April madness and the final push to graduation weekend.
Most of those student meetings may happen on Zoom this year, but they can still be a source of joy, reminding you why you got into this profession. Cruel though April seems at its outset, once the month comes to a close, there’s a good chance that you will feel not only relieved but grateful for the opportunities to make concrete differences in students’ lives.
Continue reading: “Why College Professors Hate (and Love) April,” by James M. Lang
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