I honestly think and have always thought the only way to get enough peace of mind and research time would be to let the major and graduate programs die. We do amazing amounts of service and out of field teaching to keep these going. Without them, we would teach one more section of service courses … More Method
DCLioness left a comment on a recent post that contained an important word: deprofessionalization. I keep trying to figure out why it is that I shrink and do not grow in the profession the longer I work at the kind of institution I do, and deprofessionalization would be the answer. I know one is expected … More On deprofessionalization
You only say this because you have never held an administrative position or undertaken major service. In the meantime, I will remove the services of your IT department and those in charge of your physical plant. If you are foreign language faculty, I will remove the study abroad office from your university while also requiring … More Academic Myth #1: “Administration is useless, and service is easy”
It may just be my perception but it seems to me that the verb assumir is or embodies a Brazilian cultural value. People are always talking about the importance of taking responsibility, taking charge, assessing, declaring and facing the reality of a situation. It seems to me that much academic advice goes in the opposite … More Assumir
There is a letter of Man Ray to Lee Miller in which he expresses concern that around Zizi she will become one of those directionless women made for adornment, who are agreeable to everything and available for any intrigue because they have no focus of their own. Axé.
– Conferences with students. About 25 of them. – Started unraveling a bureaucratic mystery. – Received e-mail announcing the existence of a book which supports one of my theses. This was my research gesture for the day. – Continued to be very far behind on grading and syllabus revision post hurricane. No good deed goes … More What I did today, 8AM-8PM, on one cup of orange juice and one of coffee
(…and so not wanting to start). This happens when: – I do not have a strong enough sense of authority in the project AND I do not realize this – I do not think of myself as the person in charge, but as a worker on the line – I do not think of myself … More On not knowing where to start
The main issue I have with teaching basic language courses in required programs and much taught languages is simply that it is an enormous project. From the fourth semester on up, it is just a class, but in the first three, when you have all the random students, the e-workbook, the interface with multiple sections, … More Another answer to Shedding Khawatir
I am a spontaneous person, I do things well off the cuff, and I can make good decisions quickly, but some of this is because I am so well informed anyway. I do not like to live by the seat of my pants. I do not understand why it is considered so healthy not to … More In an authoritarian culture
Every time someone tells me to “just do it” they are acting in their own interests and not in mine. I think it is some insidious American plot to reencode reflection as laziness or “procrastination.” Do not just do it, you will become a cog, someone else’s tool, or a workaholic. Step back and reflect. … More On just doing it
