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Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:45 pm Post subject: Irrational responses

You're watching the clock as you race up the thronged escalator in the early morning metro rush. Bursting out through the glass swing doors, swiftly down the icy street, taking care not to come a cropper, you realise that you'll just make your class on time. Then you get an SMS. Your class has been cancelled. You can go home again.Your reaction? Seriously peeved? I know I can be. And most of m'colleagues seem to exhibit similar traits.

I think most of us have had this experience in our teaching lives. However, in many cases, we are still paid for the class even though we don't teach it. So where does the annoyance come from? We had to get up and devote that time-slot in order to get paid in any case - the last minute cancellation should really be seen as a bonus - not having to spend another couple of hours at work earning the payment. Yet for a lot of us, we don't see it this way.

Can't quite get to the bottom of this paradox. Any answers out there?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

You're watching the clock as you race up the thronged escalator in the early morning metro rush. Bursting out through the glass swing doors, swiftly down the icy street, taking care not to come a cropper, you realise that you'll just make your class on time. Then you get an SMS. Your class has been cancelled. You can go home again.Your reaction? Seriously peeved? I know I can be. And most of m'colleagues seem to exhibit similar traits.

I remember this one Smile

I was also surprised that I felt negative about it....My theory is that it's because we've invested in the lesson, and it takes a little time (seconds - minutes??) to get over the wasted investment.

Speaking of investment...no, that's for the peeves thread.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

By the way, by 'invested in the lesson,' I mean not only the planning, but the logistics - the physical effort to rush to get there on time, from getting up to the final dash on the slippery sidewalk. I think muscle investment is as important in such a case as the earlier, presumably more peaceful, intellectual one.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:58 pm Post subject:

Very true. But our investment has been returned. We still collect payment for all the muscle...

johnslat · Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 6:58 pm Post subject:

Dear Sasha,

Well, maybe it means you really like what you're doing (i.e. teaching,) so when a class is cancelled, there goes your fun.

All you can do then is go home, post on Dave's and drink vodka.

Regards,
John

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:01 pm Post subject:

Dammit Johnslat, you've nailed it! I knew if I asked a few searching questions, you'd come up with the goods. Case closed for me.

But what about the other teachers out there who can't stand teaching in the first place. You'd think they'd be delighted by a cancellation, yet...

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

But what about the other teachers out there who can't stand teaching in the first place. You'd think they'd be delighted by a cancellation, yet...

In my experience, those are the same ones who are generally pissed off any time they have to get out of bed before noontime. Cool

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

It's just human nature, I think. When you plan for something (anything), you kind of "set yourself up" for that activity. As far as the cancelled classes, it's happened to me several times. Most of the time I find out when I show up at the classroom and there's nobody there. In cases like this, it's aggravating because it means that everyone has been told that the class will not convene EXCEPT THE TEACHER. This means that someone in the administration has made the effort to track down and notify anywhere from 40-50 students, BUT.........

Perilla · Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 792 Location: Hong Kong

I for one don't see it the same way. If I were going to be paid anyway it certainly would not piss me off - far from it! On the other hand, if I lost my pay then yes, I'd be annoyed because I would have already messed up my time getting en route, prepared and dressed for class. Except ... hmm, when I worked on the EPIK programme in Korea I used to have so much free time and get so bored that I actually looked forward to my teacher-tuition classes (though not kids' classes) and would be disappointed that I wouldn't have anyone to talk to. Er, teach, I mean.

fladude · Joined: 02 Feb 2009 Posts: 432

I get pretty psyched up when I teach. If the class is cancelled I feel a let down. So for me, the feeling of annoyance is more about the psychological let down.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 12:36 pm Post subject:

Good replies, all.

Been thinking quite hard about this too. I've come down on the argument that not only are we irrational animals sometimes, we are quite selfish too. When the class is cancelled, we know we will get paid. We should be happy. But we know we would have also got paid if the class had been cancelled the night before (depending on company policy). So being selfish, we resent not having our extra hours cuddled up in bed AND being paid for it, just because the cancellation didn't arrive earlier.

The best I can do... the weirdness of industrial psychology.