Sunday, November 23, 2008

Prof. Snowflake, and Friends

Hat tip to RYS for this gem, although I think I saw an allusion to the Chronicle article somewhere in reference to the "imposter syndrome" comment by one of the professors of Teaching and Learning (I kid you not) complaining about their jobs as 2nd year professors. This trio was so excited about becoming new t-t faculty members that they took a year off to bask in the glow? Didn't anyone tell them that ditching one of the six years they have to make a case for tenure is a bad idea? Particularly in a field like "teaching and learning" where you need IRB approval to work with human subjects?

But nothing I can write can match what the bloggers at RYS wrote about those poor sweet bunnies, particular with the additional perspective of being an adjunct in this followup comment.

OK, maybe I can try, but I would emphasize the material summarized in my blog about jobs, where I put the focus on keeping that tenure-track job after you get it.

Now standards in physics at an R1 (the context of my article) are probably a lot higher than in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education at a Directional State University (probably second tier, although all I know about them is that they play football well enough to be fodder for Div 1 predators), but they are not non-existent. I wonder if they even know about the third year review? No mention of it in that column. Bless their hearts. Gotta watch for more news from them over the next year or four.

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