Summer school begins soon after the spring semester ends, and many faculty members are looking forward to teaching during the 1999 summer session.

“To teach summer school is a privilege,” said Irvin Hentzel, professor of mathematics.

He said professors interested in teaching summer school submit their names and preferred classes to their department heads.

“In order to teach summer school, you have to be on a list, and the head of each department will pick teachers from that list,” he said.

Many professors prefer the atmosphere of summer classes.

“Classes are more relaxed during summer school because of the small class sizes,” said Jane Peterson, professor of journalism and mass communication.

She said classes can be taught differently during the summer than in regular semesters.

“Summer school provides variation in things that people learn and how things are taught,” Peterson said. “Students change from year to year and so does the teaching of the class.”

Hentzel said classes such as Math 150, which has sections with hundreds of students during fall and spring semesters, only has about 25 to 30 students during the summer.

“Students are impressed that their professor knows their name and knows them individually rather than [them] just being a number,” he said.

However, Hentzel said the accelerated pace of summer classes can make it difficult for both students and professors to keep up with their work.

“Students seem to retain the information that they are taught during summer school better, but if you fall behind, there is little hope for you to catch up,” he said.

Also, fewer students skip class during the summer because classes are so condensed, Peterson said.

“If a student misses a class during summer school, it is the equivalent of missing three classes during spring and fall semesters,” she said.

Mike Doran, associate professor of accounting, said it is easier to stay on task when classes are taught more intensely.

“Classes go quickly, and my students and I are all on task,” he said.

Doran said he also likes the perks of teaching during the summer.

“During the summer session, teachers get to choose which classroom they would like to teach in,” he said. “This provides for a more pleasant and casual teaching environment.”

However, professors said teaching summer school does have some disadvantages.

“The only downfall of the summer session is that teachers are usually exhausted by the end of the summer because of the accelerated classes,” Hentzel said.