So it would be my bad luck to run into one of our newer faculty members last night, who wanted to go on at me further about how bad the freshmen and sophomores are, and I said: Look, I understand your feelings and I share them, but this issue is not something I think about … More On Venting and Spouting
It is agreed, then: research and writing are not hard, if you are trained for them. The much harder aspects of academic work are: – dealing with anti intellectualism from various quarters – dealing with gender discrimination which is much more extreme in certain kinds of schools and also families – the backbreaking labor of … More That Administrative Answer
Today at lunch they asked where I was from in El Salvador, and last year in Oaxaca they were convinced I was from Mexico City. Ever since I moved to Louisiana people have considered me Hispanic; students have taken bets on what country I am really from; people ask me on the street. I was … More The Category “Hispanic”
Hard is the picky work of keeping up with all your (required) course websites, all your e-mail, all your files, all the files and folders in different formats on the computers of which you will likely have more than one. That is true drudgery and when people say research and writing are the hardest things … More Other Hard Work, and Class Resentment from Me
I am about to put in 15 minutes each on four or five projects, each of which in fact deserve several hours. 15 minutes each is what I have for them today, so I will put in the 15 minutes so as to have started. It is my distinct impression that doing the 15 minutes … More On Cutting Corners
I think the easiest part of our jobs is teaching upper division and graduate courses. But that is only easy if you have a good research background and are engaged in research. Research and writing, and this kind of teaching are not hard. They do take specialized knowledge and advanced skills but that is a … More And it’s hard, and it’s hard, and it’s hard…
I woke up this morning with the answer: the reason I so resent people insisting that research and writing are so hard is that they are bent upon converting creative and intellectual work into drudgery. There are already enough truly tedious tasks in the world and in our jobs, and enough tedious aspects to manuscript … More Ecco
Who is really served by the earnest insistence that we continue trying to prove that what we do is work? It is a losing battle if it cannot be won in a routine, bureaucratic way, so why worry about it? The people who envy the job and the workers will continue to do so, and … More Rubén Darío
The other practical reason I oppose going on about how work is suffering is that it makes for such an unprofessional atmosphere. Graduate students do it, secretaries do it, and instructors do it. Pink collars do it and ladies do it. “Oh, it is so hard.” “We aren’t getting any younger.” “How are you today, … More Et pour en finir…
Monday’s 14 hour day killed me and this was counterproductive. I do not recommend working above 12 hours and really, 11 is the better maximum. You have to keep a good pace, always keep some energy in reserve, never use all the power you have. Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 