A Day in the Life of an English Professor
It's easy to imagine our professors as otherworldly creatures who do nothing but grade papers and assign homework. According to fledging English Professor, Njelle Hamilton, this is not at all the case.
Dr. Hamilton, who has been at PSU since Fall 2012 started with a run-down of an average week in her life because in all honesty. "There is no 'typical' day," said Hamilton.
She teaches three days each week, and on her non-teaching days, she spends her time doing her own reading to prepare for class, at times she reads 700 pages each week just to stay on top of each of her four classes' assigned readings. She makes a lot of notes for herself to prepare for the class days. Typically, Hamilton said, "Mondays and Fridays are grading days," but she spaces her grading based on the deadlines for upcoming assignments.
When all of her class-related work is squared away, she fulfills spare time with research on Caribbean lit and music, her personal concentration. She studies articles, songs, archives, drafts, and edits articles in that area.
In addition, she is also an academic advisor. So, she has to set aside time for meeting with her advisees, answering emails, and meeting with her every day students. As if that isn't a lot for a professor's plate, she is the co-chair of the President's Commission of Diversity, which meets twice a month. "Committee work and departmental stuff have helped getting acclimated to the environment of the University and has helped meet a lot of people," said Hamilton.
When asked what the 'best' part of her job is, Dr. Hamilton smiled and said, "reading student work, because when students say interesting things, come to their own conclusions, and understandings of their pieces, it's a great moment." An avid reader her entire life, her father having owned a bookstore and her mother a teacher herself, she enjoys reading for pleasure as well as the rigorous reading involved in keeping up to date with student readings.
"It is more than just teaching on teaching days. It is a lot of tedious preparation work for class and when she's not in the classroom sometimes six hours is spent to prepare for just one class," said Hamilton. She puts in 40-50 hours of outside work on a slow week.
There is more to being an English professor than just assigning papers and grading them. A lot of work goes into what English professors do for the two or three weekly sessions.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
More theclockonline News Articles
- Campton Elementary School 8th Grade Silent Auction & Spaghetti Dinner
- Student Spotlight: Sabrina Siegel
- Ghost Hunt With PSU Paranormal Research Club
- Steve Irwin: How He Brought Us Together
Recent theclockonline News Articles
Discuss This Article
MOST POPULAR THECLOCKONLINE
Campton Elementary School 8th Grade Silent Auction & Spaghetti Dinner By Rebecca Tgibedes
Will You? By Isabelle Elsasser
Summer in the Sunflowers By Emily Holleran
Student Spotlight: Sabrina Siegel By Justine Walsh
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THECLOCKONLINE NEWS
RECENT THECLOCKONLINE CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
- Your Child’s Tomorrow Begins Today
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- No Child is Forgotten By Marine Toys for Tots
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
- Keeping Cool and Energy-efficient Amid America’s “...
- Addressing Sarcopenia with a Healthy Diet
- Subway’s New Wraps Elevate Eating on the Go
- Family Teacher Conference Topics Beyond Academics
- Youth Take Down Tobacco
- BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads to Kickoff Spring
- Curbing Colorectal Cancer in Minority Populations
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE