Dear Alma,
I am in a master’s program (4 semesters total), and my professor just announced her sabbatical for all of next semester.
This was not communicated at the time of application or at all prior to a small footnote at the end of a weekly scheduling email.
As a graduate student, my preparation is largely self-directed, but this comes as a big and disappointing surprise.
Signed,
Slighted
Dear Slighted,
This is not an uncommon occurrence. Tenured professors have a regular sabbatical cycle, often every seven years, which allows them to reboot, re-energize, and dig deep into a project that they normally don’t have time for in their regular schedule.
Teachers take time off or unexpectedly leave positions very often. A new job may open up, and they will not know until last minute if they will get that new position. An illness, a special opportunity. And, this is the case in real life as well! A conductor will be replaced, repertoire or personnel changed in a concert. That’s what life is like, and, as you mentioned, your learning is mostly self-directed at your age, so this is a perfect moment to learn how to quickly adjust.
Take this as an exciting opportunity to learn some new moves from your sabbatical teacher. They most likely will have a different take on repertoire, or hopefully, even a different specialty (Baroque performance? Orchestral experience? Contemporary Lichtenstein repertoire?)
Take this time to also make a 6 month plan with your regular teacher. What project do you want to work on, to present to them on their return? They will come back refreshed and excited to share their new knowledge with you.
Don’t be disappointed. Be excited. What a fantastic opportunity!
Questions for Alma? Please put them in the comments section or send to DearAlmaQuery@gmail.com
The post Dear Alma, My prof’s gone AWOL appeared first on Slippedisc.
