A Day In The Life Of A Professor At CSU Long Beach
A professor's day is heavily scheduled around classes at multiple campuses like Golden West and CSU Long Beach, and is treated like a "nine to five" to maximize productivity, with time also dedicated to office hours, committee meetings, and responding to the deluge of student emails within 24 hours. However, Herman separates grading from the work week, reserving weekends for it, and prioritizes staying current with events to keep lectures fresh and relatable for students, reflecting a commitment to student engagement and responsiveness.
Higher Education, Teaching, Student Engagement, Time Management, Communication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Herman Singh
Professor
CSU Long Beach
CSU Long Beach
Economics
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Education
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Teaches at multiple campuses (Golden West and Cal State Long Beach), indicating a potentially varied and dynamic work environment.
2. Treats the workday like a 'nine to five' to maintain focus and manage time effectively, balancing teaching, office hours, committee meetings, and student engagement projects.
3. Prioritizes responding to student emails promptly (within 24 hours) and integrates current events into lectures to keep the content relevant and engaging for students.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a professor look like?
Class takes up the majority of my day. I teach at two different campuses, starting at Golden West on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have two classes there.
Then, I drive to Cal State Long Beach for one class on Mondays and Wednesdays. I treat my first class like a nine-to-five job. If I don't, there's too much free time in my schedule, which can be distracting.
I'll start at nine, run through my classes, and have office hours where students can come by. I also have meetings because I'm part of different campus committees or side projects focused on student engagement. During the week, I mainly focus on student emails.
I get a lot of emails at different times and always try to respond quickly. I pride myself on this because, as a former student, I experienced the frustration of not hearing back from a professor for weeks. My trauma response is to email students back right away, within 24 hours at the latest.
I don't do any grading during the work week. I save that for the weekend so I can focus on lectures, content, and any adjustments I want to make.
I also try to stay up-to-date with current events. Students enjoy discussing things happening now, and that's how I keep things fresh. When I was a student, I didn't relate to topics from the past, so I try to incorporate current events into my classes. Outside of that, it's a nine-to-five schedule, and after that, I do my own thing.