Tonight I went to class, the studio class I take in the art department, and told the professor for the second week in a row that I was too tired to start a new project, but could only revise old projects, because I was teaching five classes and doing administrative work and had a research … More “You should not be able…”
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
That was the title of a famous essay by George Steiner on a rather different topic but I am talking about things in school that are hard in terms of work, grades, publishing, and so on. When I was an undergraduate, the scientists thought the humanities were “easy” for two reasons, one real and one … More On Difficulty
♦ I just got e-mail from one of our newer instructors. Ze wants to copy 2 CDs for me and make 3 other CDs, and so requests 5 CDs and will pay me for them. I said, buy them yourself or ask the department to buy them. ♦ I have perfect hair now and it … More À quoi, et qui ça sert?
So yes, an instructor could have answered the question the student asked well enough but I was able to see from the question that the asker was potential graduate or professional school material and to say so, and that is the difference. I am teaching all these extra lower division courses and I am very … More Why You Should Have a PhD
Whom does it benefit to say writing is hard? asks Dame Eleanor Hull. I am not sure but I can hazard that it mystifies writing and discourages people from trying. I, for my part, caught writing difficulty from Reeducation, according to which writing ease was a sign of poor health. Not wishing to suffer the … More A Writing Match
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…
Where I used to work there is permanent class war because professors put professional standards above personal convenience and instructors do the opposite. You cannot have a program in that way, especially when the instructors are the more powerful group and have the most backing. Teaching goal of professors: produce good majors and graduate students. … More On Class War
coldhearted scientist وداد 