> Louis_Schmier quoted a college as charging
> "It is touchy feely people like you," she accused, "who are
> undermining the professorhood. "There is no place in our intellectual
> environment for the emotion you want to ram down our throats," she wrote
> in something of a denouncing tone. She blamed me for "helping to destroy
> what's left of the academy's sanctity with continued demonstrations of
> weakness in the classroom." She bemoaned the need to "sacrifice my
> valuable time for students who shouldn't be in my classroom in the first
> place when I could be doing important research ." She continued, "My
> class is not a charity ward. It is not my job to hold their hands or wipe
> their sniveling noses. I don't get paid for that." She went on to
> proclaim, "We are professors, not teachers! I am dedicated to my
> discipline!" She ended her scathing message with ""my position of
> authority comes from the degrees and awards hanging in my office. My
> legitimacy rests on my research and publications, not from pandering to
> unprepared and incapable students. Your Dean ought to take you out to the
> shed and spank some sense into you"
>
At the outset let me say that I have cast my share of stones at the
"touchy-feelie types." Students consider me a traditional "hard ass" and
many of my colleagues consider me too soft. I can safely say that I have
never asked my students to sing and I am reasonably skilled at lecturing and
inviting participation but I am still primarily an old fashioned lecturer.
But 12 years as a Dept. chair has also caused me to appreciate the strengths
in faculty. Would I want a dept. full of Louis Schmeiers? Not a chance.
Would I want a dept. full of the sort of folks that flamed Louis? Not a
chance. A good dept. is one where some faculty are heavily engaged in
research and offer opportunities for student participation in research.
It's also a dept. where some faculty routinely give out their home phone
numbers and who are available many hours/week to talk with students,
counsel, commiserate, tutor, etc. It is unrealistic to think that one
faculty member can "do it all." We should strive to do as much of
everything as possible but our emphases can be very different. Heterogeneity
in a Dept. is a good thing. (Notice how I avoid the term "diversity"?<g>)
Some shoulder the heaviest committee loads, some do the bulk of the
advisement/counseling. Unfortunately, some do virtually nothing beyond
their classes and office hours.
In many ways, I think we need to give more recognition to those of our
colleagues who are more "student centered." The researchers among us get
the lion's share of the academic prizes such as promotions, merit raises,
TAs, etc. The sort of help Louis provides usually goes unrecognized and
unrewarded. I do bemoan the fact that a great lecturer is often not given
the credit that goes to those with less traditional strategies. These days,
a great teacher is assumed to be one who does the most "group learning" or
discussion-centered instruction. The "lecturer" is often looked at as, at
best, an anachronism. On the other hand, I realize that I, as a "lecturer"
am not taking the risks that my less traditional colleagues are taking.
Can the type of service Louis provides be over done to the point where it
might be considered as providing a "charity ward?" Certainly. Can Louis'
detractor be accused of missing the entire point of higher learning (i.e.,
helping students to learn and maximize their potentials)? No doubt. A
balance is required. That balance can be achieved best by fostering
heterogeneity of contributions among our colleagues.
Ed
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Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D., Department of Psychology,
West Chester Univ. of PA, West Chester, PA 19383
Office: 610-436-3151; Home: 610-363-1939; Fax: 610-436-2846
Office Hours: Mondays 1-4 p.m.; Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9:15; and 2-3; and by
appointment
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Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, bluegrass fiddler and
herpetoculturist ( http://www.adcham.com)
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Shameless self promotion: The Mill Creek Bluegrass Band performs every
Tuesday night at Dugal's Inn, Mortonville, PA. Call 610- 486-0953 for
directions.
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