Zooze the Horse roams around the pasture near Lamar State College. Zooze thinks about problems in academia. Zhe wants proffies to submit posts (blog posts, not fence posts).
Monday, December 4, 2017
Monday Magic in December
If you could go back and apologize to anybody in your academic life, who would it be?
Actually, none...but as I get older I realize there are plenty of people I should thank. (I think) I'm still growing into this work, and as I get ever-so-slightly better at it, I appreciate former teachers and colleagues a lot more.
The first person I TA'd for, who I yelled at for making us implement a young clumsy version of a P*L pedagogy, when all we (TAs) knew was content. I use it now. I think I do a better job of training my TAs, but maybe these TAs are more trainable. Millennials like to opine out the wahzoo, but they do take direction better than some Gen-Xers.
I thought I was smarter than a couple of my professors. I wasn't directly rude, but I just needed to shut up and pay attention and learn what they could teach me.
This is a tough one. There aren't too many academics I can think of to whom I'd like to apologize. Academics don't exactly have a reputation for being likeable, after all.
Besides, what you regret most are the things you didn't do, as opposed to anything you did do. If I had a time machine, I'd much rather go back, confront more than one asshole who richly deserved it, and let them HAVE IT.
Actually, none...but as I get older I realize there are plenty of people I should thank. (I think) I'm still growing into this work, and as I get ever-so-slightly better at it, I appreciate former teachers and colleagues a lot more.
ReplyDeleteThe first person I TA'd for, who I yelled at for making us implement a young clumsy version of a P*L pedagogy, when all we (TAs) knew was content. I use it now. I think I do a better job of training my TAs, but maybe these TAs are more trainable. Millennials like to opine out the wahzoo, but they do take direction better than some Gen-Xers.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was smarter than a couple of my professors. I wasn't directly rude, but I just needed to shut up and pay attention and learn what they could teach me.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough one. There aren't too many academics I can think of to whom I'd like to apologize. Academics don't exactly have a reputation for being likeable, after all.
ReplyDeleteBesides, what you regret most are the things you didn't do, as opposed to anything you did do. If I had a time machine, I'd much rather go back, confront more than one asshole who richly deserved it, and let them HAVE IT.