I think that those of us who are in academia know that we’ve chosen this career because we simultaneously possess and/or don’t possess certain qualities. I’m blessed that I am able to process lots of information and find ways to organize that information. I’m also blessed that I find thinking about abstract matters to be fun and interesting. I truly enjoy learning, and realize that there’s still so much more that I want to know.
I’m not blessed with any of the mechanical abilities that my father possessed, and I couldn’t begin to imagine myself in any kind of profession that required manual labor….not because I don’t value it, but I know I’m frankly not good at it. Putting anything together takes a lot longer than it should.
It’s around this time of the year when college professors and students stumble through the final days of the semester and the turning in of grades. It seems as if the difficulty of getting through those days becomes more challenging the closer the end of the semester reaches. In these times, it’s fortunate to know that I’m not alone in terms of the stress, the fatigue, finding other projects to avoid grading…. But the reality is that there are still pangs of guilt. After all, I’m not doing anything physically stressful, yet the fatigue and other aspects are still there. Somehow, mental stress doesn’t count as much. It’s as if I’m a bad person for feeling this way, and it’s easy to compare oneself to others and come out poorly in the comparison.
Dr. Quentin Schultze, Emeritus Professor of Communication at Calvin University, highlighted some of those ideas in a blog post for the Christian Scholars Review. What I think that he points out — correctly — is that we in academia tend to be driven and a bit perfectionistic. There are two quotations from his article that are worth highlighting:
Unless we see each term as a new beginning to faithful rather than perfect work, we can mistakenly impose upon ourselves unrealistic expectations flowing from our genuine desire to love God and our students.
Quentin Schultze, Dealing with Our Discouragement and Burnout
Every time we begin again, we have the wonderful opportunity to pursue excellence within our means, with plenty of compassion toward ourselves.
Quentin Schultze, Dealing with Out Discouragement and Burnout
While it’s not always easy to internalize these messages, perhaps this will help me and/or someone else who likewise struggles to get through the end of the semester. And speaking of the end of the semester, grades are due tomorrow at 9:00 a.m…. 😱