tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post4740213633519984496..comments2024-03-15T01:11:32.832-07:00Comments on Bardiac: How Not to Impress Your New Co-WorkersBardiachttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-26800175988886980982007-06-28T13:37:00.000-07:002007-06-28T13:37:00.000-07:00You think you got it bad. I have an MFA (Iowa) & t...You think you got it bad. I have an MFA (Iowa) & teach creative writing & contemporary lit, etc. I've won prized, published books, been in the good journals, etc. I mention this not to pump myself up, but give a bit of context: I cannot count the number of times I have been told by someone like Trailing Spouse at an academic party, "Oh, I'd like to write poetry if I had the time."Joseph Duemerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07650314132179290321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-61042334973196182272007-06-27T06:31:00.000-07:002007-06-27T06:31:00.000-07:00Bev, Right! It's so hard when you're on the marke...Bev, Right! It's so hard when you're on the market trying to get a job, and so tempting to try to be all things to all people.<BR/><BR/>Inside, I think Philosophy for some reason, makes people think they know it because they've had some life experience?<BR/><BR/>Terminal Degree, I'm constantly impressed by how amazing some of our job candidates are at handling things. It's painful for everyone that we can't hire them all!<BR/><BR/>Undine, Yes, but isn't that weird? Why do your diss on something you don't WANT to teach?<BR/><BR/>Delagar, I think cutting him a break is totally in order. I'm thinking eager to please and a little awkward as trailing spouse.<BR/><BR/>MWAK, Asthma would make things far worse, I think! Sometimes, people don't seem to realize how much there is to know in a field such as Philosophy!<BR/><BR/>Julep, I agree, benefit of the doubt for sure! Thanks :)Bardiachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-73109700511873071072007-06-26T20:44:00.000-07:002007-06-26T20:44:00.000-07:00I say give him the benefit of the doubt. If he's n...I say give him the benefit of the doubt. If he's new enough, young enough, still reeling from his perceived job failings, and desperate to impress, he might not yet realize that teaching intro classes are his dues at least for a while---possibly a long while as an adjunct.Julephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08217631264010671678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-8075502655151672152007-06-26T12:48:00.000-07:002007-06-26T12:48:00.000-07:00I'm totally with you on the smoking thing. I find...I'm totally with you on the smoking thing. I find the smell yucky and I have asthma and it makes me cough. <BR/><BR/>That guy really does sound kind of like an idiot. It's kind of degrading to the fields to assume that anybody can/should teach Shakespear or philosophy. I loved how on further questioning, he hadn't read any philosophy since his undergrad course. If that's the bar, heck, I could teach philosophy. ;)Midwife with a Knifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04309579302399381913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-87381011534153862352007-06-26T06:20:00.000-07:002007-06-26T06:20:00.000-07:00Was he a young guy? Like in his late 20s? If he ...Was he a young guy? Like in his late 20s? If he was a young guy I might be inclined to cut him a break. Maybe he just doesn't know how to behave yet. Parties can be scary.<BR/><BR/>If he's older than 32 or 33 thought, meh.delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-32818170921265828112007-06-25T10:46:00.000-07:002007-06-25T10:46:00.000-07:00With you on the smoking thing.It does sound as tho...With you on the smoking thing.<BR/><BR/>It does sound as though Dr. Trailing Spouse is trying to impress. It also sounds a little as though he wants to teach something--anything--except the intro-level courses he's been hired to teach.undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-30387282334419806862007-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:002007-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00Wow, not the way to impress colleagues, indeed. Le...Wow, not the way to impress colleagues, indeed. Let's just hope he was feeling a bit insecure and will behave in the future.<BR/><BR/>I was on a job search this year, and one of our questions included, "what other courses would you feel qualified to teach in our department?" since you never know when we'll need someone to do an overload due to illnesses, sabbaticals, etc. I was impressed by how some of the folks answered by carefully saying, "Well, I don't want to step on the toes of anyone currently teaching any classes, nor do I know what needs you have, but I'd feel comfortable teaching X if I were needed to do so." Classy!Terminal Degreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16523014953046778630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-50376126755465691372007-06-24T18:54:00.000-07:002007-06-24T18:54:00.000-07:00Sounds to me like the New Guy is having a little i...Sounds to me like the New Guy is having a little insecurity about being the trailing spouse... My guess is that his ego took a hit when his wife got the good job. <BR/><BR/>As for teaching philosophy, I was pretty shocked to see the qualifictions of the people who responded to our job adverts.. many of them had no philosophy background. Of course, we didn't hire them :).Inside the Philosophy Factoryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12255753259090709877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17974015.post-74199518709961087082007-06-24T18:17:00.000-07:002007-06-24T18:17:00.000-07:00How awkward. Anyone who's spent any time on the jo...How awkward. Anyone who's spent any time on the job market ought to know better...but maybe he thinks the trailing spouse gets a free ride?<BR/><BR/>I was on an interviewing team once at MLA when one of the applicants pulled out a printout showing all the courses in our curriculum he felt qualified to teach, which was pretty much all of 'em. No one can be that versatile, and even if this guy was Super-Prof with expertise in everything, he seemed blissfully unaware that other people might already be committed to teaching those courses. How can someone with so much education be so clueless?Bevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05412883073330413390noreply@blogger.com