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I am a university lecturer and I have been working at home during the #COVID19AU lockdown. I am very lucky because I have a stable job and I do not have to worry about job security (at least for now). But I am also under enormous pressure. The university told us this is a wonderful time for researchers to be productive and publish prolifically. It is also a wonderful time to become an online teaching guru. It is essential for us to understand that our students are very anxious. My department head just shows off the jogging, the baking, the 'creative' craft, and wonderful bonding time with family.
But no one cares that the university academic staff are unbelievably stressed and anxious. I am really sick of that pretended positivity and the assumed superhuman qualities. I have been working 14 hours every day over the last four weeks because I have to keep up with online teaching (and responding to endless student complaint-emails about how they are anxious), publishing, researching, and grant proposal submission. I am exhausted but I am not even allowed to say that - because only my students are entitled to anxiety. If I am anxious and exhausted, maybe I am not good enough for the job. And as a migrant, I have been constantly told that I should be feeling so entitled. I am constantly being told that another Australian could use my job even though I am more qualified. I hope the semester is going to be over soon because I really just want a 14-hour sleep.
But no one cares that the university academic staff are unbelievably stressed and anxious. I am really sick of that pretended positivity and the assumed superhuman qualities. I have been working 14 hours every day over the last four weeks because I have to keep up with online teaching (and responding to endless student complaint-emails about how they are anxious), publishing, researching, and grant proposal submission. I am exhausted but I am not even allowed to say that - because only my students are entitled to anxiety. If I am anxious and exhausted, maybe I am not good enough for the job. And as a migrant, I have been constantly told that I should be feeling so entitled. I am constantly being told that another Australian could use my job even though I am more qualified. I hope the semester is going to be over soon because I really just want a 14-hour sleep.