A flash of insight
30/03/2017
Why did you not ask for advice and information? Because I already knew that my father would not answer such questions. From this I had learned that answers would not be forthcoming from anyone. Axé.
Category: Working
Steal this university!
19/03/2017
The book seems dated now, but I did not pay enough attention when it came out in 2003, although I read the reviews. It is about how the for-profit ethos has crept into universities. I do not know whether I knew enough then to understand the book as I do now. I learned a very … More Steal this university!
“Where you stand is where you sit”
04/03/2017
Here is a book about how to be an academic administrator and it looks quite good. It is from 2006 but glancing at it I thought it would be older, as it seems to come from an era so much kinder and gentler and humane. The university was already savage, of course, but it really … More “Where you stand is where you sit”
More about the anxiety
01/03/2017
I love co-working and dislike working in isolation, but I see now that I have a longstanding (although not evident) anxiety condition for which Boicean-style advice is a trigger. I am also so naturally organized, disciplined, and motivated that the Boicean-style admonishments feel demeaning, as I know that what I need is time to contemplate, … More More about the anxiety
Domingo
19/02/2017
⇒ The best political action we can take right now is to work against voter suppression. (Z) ⇒ The roundups of indocumentados are a beginning, and we should pay attention. (Z) ⇒ The use of indocumentados is a form of slavery. Capitalism requires slavery, and slaves must be foreign. (Z) ⇒Racist imperatives fuel the militarization … More Domingo
What is Critical Thinking?
02/02/2017
This piece by Rob Jenkins was in the CHE and I am reproducing it. The words from here on are not mine. Axé. The longer I teach (I’m now in my 32nd year) the more I’m convinced that the best thing we can do for our students is help them learn to think for themselves. … More What is Critical Thinking?
I must renew my passport
23/01/2017
I will not post until it is done. I must also paint some of the outside of the house. These are the kinds of things I keep putting off and I really must not. Axé.
I appear to stand alone
20/12/2016
It appears that only I think everyone should be on a tenure line. I understand the need for “flexible” faculty given shifting enrollments but I say that if you need someone clearly enough that you rehire them for longer than three years, you need them and should offer them a tenure track position. Pieces and … More I appear to stand alone
Slowly and with lots of sleep
13/12/2016
I am now able to do some work I had thought impossible because I got lots of sleep and I am working slowly–or, at the speed I need to work. The reason I have always wanted to leave academia is that we are supposed to work very quickly, do a poor job (anything else is … More Slowly and with lots of sleep
Notes on language and power
11/12/2016
This is important for my languishing article. It is hard to manage because it is about language, but wants to be about neoliberalism and educational policy. If I keep remembering it is about language, I may be able to finish it. Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 