My Life in a Nutshell

[CathyCA]

That was a funny cartoon. It was funny because there is much truth contained therein.

[wilson]

My mother, a 30-year school employee and 10+-year principal, examined and approved my cover letter and resume, and my materials have been submitted for Job #1. And so it begins. It feels really good to have the ball actually rolling on real, gainful, living-wage employment. Now I just want to get some interviews.

[ArkieDukie]

My mother, a 30-year school employee and 10+-year principal, examined and approved my cover letter and resume, and my materials have been submitted for Job #1. And so it begins. It feels really good to have the ball actually rolling on real, gainful, living-wage employment. Now I just want to get some interviews.

Great, wilson! Sending another round of vibes!

[colchar]

Dear God. It's kind of funny, but mostly it's just fucking brutally true.

Yes, it most certainly is. It should be required viewing for anyone considering graduate study in history.

I can only hope it will get funnier as the whole kick in the nuts recedes in my rear-view mirror.

With each passing week, as I leave grad school further and further behind me, it does get funnier. I'm still kind of pissed off about the whole experience, and in a small way I regret not finishing the PhD (that feeling is fading quickly though), but at least now I am able to see much of the bullshit for how funny it really is.

[colchar]

The History one is even sadder/funnier than the English one:

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7488523/

Brilliant! And oh so true.

[wilson]

...I'm still kind of pissed off about the whole experience...

Tell me about it. A couple of days ago, I was jolted awake after a weird dream about the whole experience, sweating and livid, totally unable to go back to sleep. I took this as an indication that it is really time for me to get the hell out of there.
I really don't think I'll struggle with a great deal of regret. I know there will be moments, but for the most part, I've already been pleasantly surprised at how much I am at peace with it all.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

...I'm still kind of pissed off about the whole experience...

Tell me about it. A couple of days ago, I was jolted awake after a weird dream about the whole experience, sweating and livid, totally unable to go back to sleep. I took this as an indication that it is really time for me to get the hell out of there.
I really don't think I'll struggle with a great deal of regret. I know there will be moments, but for the most part, I've already been pleasantly surprised at how much I am at peace with it all.

This may well be the best indicator of making a decision that's good for you and good for your life. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

[throatybeard]

FTR, here's the English one:

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=obTNwPJvO ... re=related

I got my PhD mainly because my advisors were kind, enabling souls interested in professionalizing students instead of masturbatory academic rigor in gradskool. But I'm not good at research. (I'm really good at teaching). I'll post here when I get denied tenure around NYE 2012/13.

[Lavabe]

FTR, here's the English one:

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=obTNwPJvO ... re=related

Dare I ask if there's an anthropology one?

[ArkieDukie]

FTR, here's the English one:

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=obTNwPJvO ... re=related

I got my PhD mainly because my advisors were kind, enabling souls interested in professionalizing students instead of masturbatory academic rigor in gradskool. But I'm not good at research. (I'm really good at teaching). I'll post here when I get denied tenure around NYE 2012/13.

I feel your pain. That's what happened to me. Throaty, sending the strongest vibes possible that you do not have a similar experience.

I had excellent teaching evaluations in a very difficult subject with one of the heaviest teaching loads on campus. Labs were weighted as 2/3 of a class, so I typically had 30+ contact hours rather than 21, which was supposed to be the normal load. Had students presenting research at national meetings, too, and I had received a reasonable amount of extramural funding for my research. Was denied tenure because I didn't have publications - presentations at national meetings didn't count, and this was at a liberal arts college of less than 500 students. Colleagues with less actual research activity, no funding, less college service, and poorer teaching evaluations were granted tenure with publications based on work they had done in grad school. One colleague in particular (another scientist) was given tenure with a single publication in a regional journal - no extramural funding, fewer research students, no presentations at national meetings. However, he let them put a check mark in the "publications" box, so he was granted tenure. Oh, and did I mention that the tenure policy didn't explicitly state that you HAD to have a publication? The policy stated something to the effect of "demonstration of scholarly activity - for example, publications, presentations at professional meetings..."

Sometimes I wonder if I would've been better served to take the path that you have chosen, wilson. With that being said, I do like where I've arrived 10 years after the Tenure Case from Hell.

[Lavabe]

I had excellent teaching evaluations in a very difficult subject with one of the heaviest teaching loads on campus. Labs were weighted as 2/3 of a class, so I typically had 30+ contact hours rather than 21, which was supposed to be the normal load.

You got each lab section to count for 2/3 of a course, or did all of the sections total up to 2/3 of a course?

[ArkieDukie]

I had excellent teaching evaluations in a very difficult subject with one of the heaviest teaching loads on campus. Labs were weighted as 2/3 of a class, so I typically had 30+ contact hours rather than 21, which was supposed to be the normal load.

You got each lab section to count for 2/3 of a course, or did all of the sections total up to 2/3 of a course?

Each lab section counted as 2/3 of a course. We had 7 course (21 contact hr) teaching loads, and I generally had 1-2 lectures and 2-4 labs per semester. Lecture courses were 3 contact hrs each; labs were 2-4 hrs depending on which class. Non-majors labs (only 2 hrs long) were 1/2 course. All majors labs (3-4 hr labs) counted as 2/3 of a course. I had two 4-hr organic labs per semester; each counted as 2/3 of a course. 8 contact hrs only counted as 4.

[wilson]

I have an appointment today for a phone conversation with my MA advisor from ECU, who is one of the most wonderful educators I ever encountered in all my years of schooling. I'm excited to hear his insights as a) someone who knows the vagaries of the university inside and out, and b) someone who really cares about me.

[wilson]

I have an appointment today for a phone conversation with my MA advisor from ECU, who is one of the most wonderful educators I ever encountered in all my years of schooling. I'm excited to hear his insights as a) someone who knows the vagaries of the university inside and out, and b) someone who really cares about me.

I had a really good talk this morning. I was initially a bit nervous about it, as I feared he might be disappointed or skeptical as to my appraisal of the situation. Carl did not disappoint, though; as ever, he was unflinchingly supportive and encouraging. I really wish there were just one person at Emory who "gets it" the way Carl does.

[lawgrad91]

I have an appointment today for a phone conversation with my MA advisor from ECU, who is one of the most wonderful educators I ever encountered in all my years of schooling. I'm excited to hear his insights as a) someone who knows the vagaries of the university inside and out, and b) someone who really cares about me.

I had a really good talk this morning. I was initially a bit nervous about it, as I feared he might be disappointed or skeptical as to my appraisal of the situation. Carl did not disappoint, though; as ever, he was unflinchingly supportive and encouraging. I really wish there were just one person at Emory who "gets it" the way Carl does.

It's wonderful to have someone in your corner who knows and understands your situation and can help you through all you are dealing with.

[ArkieDukie]

I have an appointment today for a phone conversation with my MA advisor from ECU, who is one of the most wonderful educators I ever encountered in all my years of schooling. I'm excited to hear his insights as a) someone who knows the vagaries of the university inside and out, and b) someone who really cares about me.

I had a really good talk this morning. I was initially a bit nervous about it, as I feared he might be disappointed or skeptical as to my appraisal of the situation. Carl did not disappoint, though; as ever, he was unflinchingly supportive and encouraging. I really wish there were just one person at Emory who "gets it" the way Carl does.

I am glad that you've got such a great, supportive person in your corner!

[CathyCA]

I have an appointment today for a phone conversation with my MA advisor from ECU, who is one of the most wonderful educators I ever encountered in all my years of schooling. I'm excited to hear his insights as a) someone who knows the vagaries of the university inside and out, and b) someone who really cares about me.

I had a really good talk this morning. I was initially a bit nervous about it, as I feared he might be disappointed or skeptical as to my appraisal of the situation. Carl did not disappoint, though; as ever, he was unflinchingly supportive and encouraging. I really wish there were just one person at Emory who "gets it" the way Carl does.

Ah, and that is so typical of the faculty at ECU. From what I have observed, they really do care about their students.

[wilson]

Update: A couple of weeks ago, on a tip from an old friend who teaches in an independent high school here in Atlanta, I submitted my application materials to a head-hunting firm of sorts who keeps a roster of would-be teachers and matches them up with independent schools throughout the southeast.
Initially, they told me they didn't think I was a good fit. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my academic interests (and my first master's degree) are rather more focused than most (my ECU M.A. is in Maritime Studies). They initially told me that they had an appeals process which I was welcome to go through, but that they almost always stand by their initial appraisals of candidates.
I shared this information with my friend who had recommended this firm in the first place, and he was borderline incensed, and promised to make a couple of calls to some people he knew there. Not long thereafter, I got an email from their Director of Teacher Placement, who told me that it was very rare for a former client (my friend in this case) to reach out to them and encourage them to reconsider a decision, so they wanted to hear directly from me about my qualifications and ambitions, in something of an unconventional bypassing of the usual appeals process. I replied last Monday morning with a thorough, impassioned summary of who I am and what I want to be as an educator.
This morning, I called in to check on the status of my application. When I got through to the Director of Teacher Placement, she said, "This is so weird. I'm sitting here right now with your file open, and I was just about to email you and tell you that we've changed our minds and added you to our roster of candidates."
So now I have an appointment for tomorrow to discuss my professional profile in more depth with one of this firm's employment officers, and I'm working on plans to go to D.C. next week for their annual convention. Given the chance to avail myself of their considerable resources and connections, and to put my face with my name and profile, I'm really feeling confident about my chances of finding good employment.
Another good lesson learned in persistence, self-confidence, faith, and the power of good friends.

[DukieInKansas]

Yeah, Wilson! What a great friend and wonderful opportunity. Good luck.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Great news and best of luck on the interviews!