Sunday, November 09, 2008

Evaluating Adjuncts’ Impact

Inside Higher Ed has a piece about evaluating the impact of adjuncts on higher education.  Read it here.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

US News Article on Adjuncts

Check out this article at US News & World Report.  Please read it and comment!

Social Networks as an Educational Tool

An Inside Higher Ed article about social networking in education.  It is worth reviewing.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Bruce Lee on Writing

"If you want to understand the truth in writing, to see any text clearly, you must throw away the notion of styles or schools, like and dislikes, and so forth.  Then, your mind will cease all conflict and come to rest.  In this silence, you will see totally and freshly.”
--Bruce Lee modified, “writing” substituted in for martial arts and “text” substituted in for fight

I have been thinking a lot about rhetoric, combat sports, and martial arts lately.  Today, just as I opened up Paul Vunak’s Anatomy of a Streetfight, I saw the above quote from Bruce Lee.  As I read it, I instantly saw how writing and text could replace martial arts and fight.  And it sounded perfect.

Missing Comrade

My first two years teaching at my community college were interesting, challenging, and engaging.  While there, I have known a variety of adjuncts.  Some of them were in graduate school with me, others graduated from the same program before or after I did, and there are a few who come from out of the area.  All of them are decent people, but I cannot speak for their pedagogy.  I wish I could, but honestly I have never seen them teach and I rarely hear my peers discuss pedagogy.

Over the past couple of months, I rarely run into any other adjuncts who teach composition.  My regular pal in the adjunct office teaches political science to a room full of forty to sixty students.  That places his methods on another planet, but we still kvetsch and share on things academic-related.  Still, it would be nice to have someone with whom I can talk comp.  Alas, it is not at work.

At my other work, a four year CSU, there are some chances to talk pedagogy during program meetings.  This is invigorating, and it is what I love most about the meetings: I get to hear and speak about pedagogy with comp colleagues!  What could be better?  While this is a gilded experience, it highlights what is missing from my other workplace: an …

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Teaching Tech: Principals vs. Students

An informative article, courtesy of Librarian in Black, about how principals and students see their schools preparing students for the 21st century.  It’s only a matter of years before these students arrive in our classrooms.  We need to know just how prepared they really are.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Jobs Coming Up

In case you have not been monitoring the lists, in case you are new to the fields of academic labor, or in case you have been swamped with teaching, here is a reminder: NOW is the time to start preparing your job applications.  Notices are being sent out, committees are being set up (or already exist), and the tentative jobs are out there waiting for you.  Yes, you.

So, no matter how busy you are, if you are looking to get out of the adjunct gig and into a full-time tenure track position, start paying attention.  The annual cycle has begun.  Of course there will be late offerings, and there will be—as usual—a flurry of last-minute adjunct openings.  Please do yourself and your profession a favor and secure yourself some full time work!  And when you do, please remember the adjunct pools from whence you came.