I debated about which forum to put this in. This one seems as appropriate as any. If I'm wrong about that, I'd happily see it moved to "Philosophy" or wherever's best ...
We had a faculty meeting on Friday, and then I went and saw The Hunger Games that evening. Oddly enough, there is a connection between those seemingly-unrelated events. And I've been brooding a bit about it over the weekend.
Now on to another seemingly-unrelated topic. (Trust me, there's an eventual point.) If there's one overriding part of my mental makeup, it's that I'm just not as good a person as I want to be, as I think that I should be. And so if there's anything that drives me, it's that need for self-improvement.
Years ago, I was privileged to spar with an 85-year-old kendo master. He taught me a very valuable lesson in the process. Now I can honestly say that I was one of the most experienced and accomplished kendoka in the dojo at the time. There were few others in the dojo who could best me. I say that without either bragging or false modesty; it's simply a fact. But I was certainly not arrogant or stupid enough to believe for even one moment that I stood a chance in hell against someone who had probably mastered the sport to a greater degree than I ever will decades before I was even born.
If I had been that stupid, he'd have beaten it out of me, because, in fact, I didn't stand a chance against him. He wiped the floor with me, and I never came close to touching him.
I was deeply grateful to have been able to witness such a masterful performance up close. In its own way, it was a beautiful thing to see.
Afterward, he was gracious enough to give me some pointers, and he praised my performance. He told me that, for my level of experience, I was really quite good. I was, of course, immensely grateful to him for having said so. And if our positions had been reversed, naturally, I would have done the same for him.
I know that he was sincere, and logically, I know that he was correct. But I just cannot make myself believe that I actually deserved his praise, if that makes any sense. It's just not how my brain is wired.
The other valuable thing he gave me was an insight into how his mind worked -- and mine, too. He told me that his personal life's goal was to someday make "one perfect men strike." Having just been on the receiving end of several men strikes that looked dang-near "perfect" to me, I didn't understand what he meant at first.
But I think I figured it out after a bit of thought. "Perfection" in such a context isn't something that's quantifiable, and therefore isn't truly attainable. And he knew that far better than I did. So why strive to achieve an unachievable goal?
Because, I think, the point is that one should never give up trying to better oneself. No matter how good you may be at whatever, you could always be better.
Anyway, flash-forward to Friday. I've been told that I'm essentially a shoo-in for being granted tenure next year. I was also told by one of my tenured colleagues on Friday that I should not go around bragging about that or otherwise do anything to antagonize the Administration, because there's still plenty of time between now and August, when it will (presumably) be official.
I genuinely appreciated the advice, and I sincerely thanked him for the advice. But at the same time, I wanted to blurt out in response: "I'm not stupid; of course I'm not going to do any of that."
While I was discussing the matter with my "faculty mentor," she told me that one of the things that she and others had stressed in their recommendation letters on my behalf was that I was very willing to seek and take advice from my peers. She insisted that this is a surprisingly rare quality, and I suppose that she may be correct. Even so, part of me just wanted to ask: "What on Earth would make anyone think I'm so stupid that I wouldn't seek out and utilize the guidance and advice of those who are more experienced than I am?"
Though I like almost everyone I meet, there are often times when it seems to me that I just don't understand some people very well -- or at all.
Anyway, I mention all of this to provide some insight into how my mind works. If there's one constant in my mental makeup is that I'm nowhere near as good or as competent as I want to be, and that there's always room for improvement. And so it seems to me to be self-evident that it's always a good idea to take advantage of whatever insights or useful suggestions that others can offer. Especially if those people are more skilled and/or experienced than I am.
So, that brings us to Friday's faculty meeting.
I've mentioned before that those of us in the Science Department have been under a great deal of pressure to "dumb down" our courses, in various ways. We've been resisting, but there is a great deal of pressure being exerted. It's originating with the President of the college.
And he simply will not listen to us. The Science Department and the Faculty Union have offered to set up talks so that we can discuss the matter. All such offers have been refused. The President hasn't met with us on the matter, not even once. Instead, he has handed down a series of decrees, and insisted that this is how things will be done.
Never mind that that every single one of us in the Science Department thinks these "suggestions" are unworkable and would destroy whatever academic integrity we have left, and basically turn the school into a diploma mill. Never mind that our illustrious President has no training in (or understanding of) the Sciences, and no experience as an educator.
No. It's a straightforward case of: "Do it my way, end of discussion." He has absolutely no idea of how to teach a Science course (or any course, so far as I can tell), and he simply will not listen when we tell him that his proposed changes would essentially destroy the Science Program.
He has gone so far as to blatantly violate the school's constitution in order to try to set his agenda into motion against our protests. (We're currently in arbitration regarding this.)
To say that this man is "scientifically illiterate" is to be far too generous. He has demonstrated time and time again in his speeches that he knows nothing of basic scientific principles or methodology. (I'm not kidding. There is a sort of competition amongst the members of the Science Department. Every time the President gives a speech, the first person to identify and explain one of his many, many demonstrations of his scientific illiteracy gets a point. It keeps us from groaning out loud or bursting into laughter.)
Nonetheless, he's utterly confident that he knows how and what we should be teaching, and that our protests to the contrary are simply us being "unreasonable."
The Administration's attempt to shove its agenda down our collective throats was, naturally, a pretty major part of the discussion at Friday's meeting. Our Faculty Liaison stated that it was just "evil" of him to be acting the way that he does.
Trying to lighten the mood, I quoted Robert Hanlon: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."
"No," she replied. "I said evil and I meant it." After a pause: "Well, actually, I mean megalomaniacal. In my experience, he is literally incapable of considering the opinions of others. As far as he is concerned his is the only opinion that matters at all."
While that sounds harsh, I have to admit that her assessment of his personality explains a lot of what's going on around here. I can't truly understand the President's mindset, but I'm coming to strongly suspect that our Faculty Liaison is correct in her evaluation of it.
I love teaching. But not here.
Some of my colleagues are angry and bitter. Some are just trying to keep their heads down and hoping that they can make it to retirement. I think that some have simply given up.
Why did I mention The Hunger Games? There's nothing deep or insightful there. It was just a reminder that life is too precious to waste on bitterness or despair.
Me, I'm not going to become angry and bitter, and I'm absolutely not going to give up. I'm going to escape.
There was a nice rain last night, and I went for a walk afterward. A Screech Owl was calling from a tree, there were Chorus Frogs, Spring Peepers, Leopard Frogs, and American Toads calling from the nearby ponds. I caught a Spotted Salamander and gave him a quick examination before carrying him off the road and to a nearby pond. I turned off the flashlight and sat in the dark for awhile to enjoy the sounds of a pack of coyotes yipping and howling in the distance. That made me feel a lot better.
Cheers,
Michael
__________________
“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Have you ever read 'Zen in the art of Archery'?
Several years I read some comentary by Alex Trebeck the host of Jeoprady, and what he related was that in the first season the higher level executives watched the show and were having a lot of trouble with the questions and answers. Thinking that they were as smart as the average person they instructed the producers to make the answers and questins easier so that the 'average' person could keep up. The producers agreed but really didn't change the clues at all and the show is a success. If the administrator really doesn't understand science there may be a way to work around the agenda and keep your integrity.
BTW, I left teaching Jr. HS when I was informed that next year I would have girls in shop. All students were going to take half a year of both shop and home economics. It only took me a few heart beats to decide 'Not Me'.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Attach yourself to two Japanese students who seem to have a "thing" for one another. Together, survive to the end then, summarily, shoot them both to win.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedoc
BTW, I left teaching Jr. HS when I was informed that next year I would have girls in shop. All students were going to take half a year of both shop and home economics. It only took me a few heart beats to decide 'Not Me'.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Quote:
Originally Posted by fragment
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedoc
BTW, I left teaching Jr. HS when I was informed that next year I would have girls in shop. All students were going to take half a year of both shop and home economics. It only took me a few heart beats to decide 'Not Me'.
Yes, god forbid there be girls in shop.
I guess you had to be there. It wasn't girls in general, in fact there was one class, with only a few girls in it, that had taken shop for the year. It was most of the other girls in that school, another school may have been different.
BTW, I left teaching Jr. HS when I was informed that next year I would have girls in shop. All students were going to take half a year of both shop and home economics. It only took me a few heart beats to decide 'Not Me'.
Yes, your commitment to sexism is very much like TLR's commitment to academic standards.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Quote:
Originally Posted by erimir
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedoc
BTW, I left teaching Jr. HS when I was informed that next year I would have girls in shop. All students were going to take half a year of both shop and home economics. It only took me a few heart beats to decide 'Not Me'.
Yes, your commitment to sexism is very much like TLR's commitment to academic standards.
I didn't like most of the boys in that school either, I guess you had to be there. There were good students in the top sections and the bottom sections but most of them in the middle were of not good students.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
So, the fact that there were going to be girls rather than only boys in your shop class wasn't a factor, as implied by your statement, but it was rather simply the low quality of the student body?
Curious, then, that it would be the gender integration of the shop and home ec classes that precipitated your departure.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
I took shop and home ec in high school, had a lot of fun in both. I'm pretty sure there were girls in my shop class. We took apart a lawnmower engine. And there were a few other boys in my home ec class. We sewed together a little drawstring bag. That was a lot harder than the engine, for me. Sewing a straight stitch is fucking hard, even with a machine, and then getting the corners right...
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Quote:
Originally Posted by erimir
So, the fact that there were going to be girls rather than only boys in your shop class wasn't a factor, as implied by your statement, but it was rather simply the low quality of the student body?
Curious, then, that it would be the gender integration of the shop and home ec classes that precipitated your departure.
I had been thinking about leaving for some time, this was just the trigger. But you read into it what you want. And while I don't remember for sure I don't think it was mixed classes, but either all boys or all girls.
Re: Brooding about the Most Recent Faculty Meeting
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckF
For all of thequack's semi-literate shitposts about OH I USED TO BE A TEACHER, he taught shop and left because of girls in his class.
Which would have made them all butch!
Worse, they, and when I write "they," I, of course, mean the Liberal Jewish Anti-American Pro-Gay and Ruskie Establishment that Elects Black People [All Rights Reserved if You are White Christian.--Ed.] wanted White Young Men to learn to cook!