Writing about what I won’t miss about being a professor helped confirm my feeling that I’d made the right decision.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot that I’ll miss.

What I’ll Miss about Teaching

Course planning was one of my favorite aspects of the job. 
I loved thinking hard about the main ideas, perspectives, and skills I wanted students to take away from the course. I liked searching for high-quality readings that would be interesting and thought-provoking, designing projects that would help students be engaged in history, pondering how to set students up for success, and imagining the arc of the semester. It was like putting together a big puzzle.

I just retired from my position as a full-time history professor. Between the normal end of semester hectic pace and some additional hullabaloo, I haven’t had much time to reflect on how I’m feeling about all this. Now I do have time!

Many have said they envy me and wish they could retire. I get it. This is a tough job. There are definitely some things I won’t miss.

What I Won’t Miss

The stress
It wears you down over time. We know it’s not good for our health. Stress comes from many aspects of teaching along with the other aspects of being a faculty member.

Long hours and time pressure to be prepared
Sure, some of this is my fault for wanting every class meeting to be fantastic, but a lot of it isn’t. Like most professions, there’s just a lot of work to complete. The pace is relentless.