Figured Out the Sabbatical

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Clarissa

August 25, 2026

It’s week two of my sabbatical, and I’m happy to report that I have already figured out how to have an extremely productive sabbatical. You need to go to the office and stay there like it’s a regular work day.

The Dean was very puzzled yesterday when he came across me in the hallway at 7:45 AM. “A sabbatical is not a vacation,” I said virtuously and strutted away.

This is my first real sabbatical, and it’s an amazing experience. I spend each day writhing with enjoyment. I have hours of uninterrupted thinking and writing each day. It’s so good that I don’t even care about the regularly scheduled university lunacy, such as, for example, the fact that our union has negotiated for us a 20% drop in salary for summer courses. And then got upset when we pointed out that this is not an impressive achievement

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4 responses to “Figured Out the Sabbatical”

Anonymous

August 26, 2026

sabbatical is not just for the professor but for the campus as well. Sometimes faculty members need a break from the person “put” on sabbatical. If a chair is granted an automatic sabbatical after their term ended , then it’s also a way to give the new chair breathing room. No one wants to see the colleague on leave on campus

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1. Clarissa
  
  August 26, 2026
  
  Well, they’ll have to lump it because I do most of my work at the office. I’m most certainly not seeking anybody’s company. People do endlessly seek mine, so they must not be that tired of me.
  
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2. Random reader
  
  August 26, 2026
  
  Many of my colleagues spend their sabbaticals on campus. Going elsewhere is often financially prohibitive. No one has a problem with that, so perhaps it also depends on a particular place.
  
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  1. Clarissa
    
    August 27, 2026
    
    I understand the argument about not wanting the previous department chair to hover. I had this issue with one of the preceding chairs when I stepped into this role. She is a wonderful person, and we used to be great friends, but our friendship did not survive her efforts to make my term as chair into a continuation of hers.
    
    But the difference is that I most certainly don’t want to hover and continue my chairship. I’m beyond done with the administrative thing. All I want is to read and write in complete silence in my office.
    
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