conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
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Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,658
Tends to have warped sense of humor
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« Reply #5685 on: September 02, 2009, 10:15:28 AM » |
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So im in procrastination black hole right now on my research & teaching statements. Outline + couple paragraphs for each research idea/project. Nothing on the teaching statement, zilch. Any thoughts on the teaching statement stuff from the science-folk?
I found once, years ago, a nice piece on writing a teaching statement in math. It appears to have vanished from the web site where I found it. But it gave advice roughly like this. First, start off by listing the courses you have taught, as well as the variations in them (if you know how they vary from other courses). Write a little bit about how you think it is appropriate to teach those courses, and what it is appropriate to expect of those students. This will organize your thoughts, and will provide you with the "clay" (so to speak) with which to mold your statement. Now, generalize. So I talk, for instance, about math classes for non-majors, and the differences in how I handle them from classes for majors. I talk about classes in which I expect students to be able to prove theorems, and proof rubrics for different kinds of proofs. What have you tried that has worked? What will you try to address problems that you've noticed in the past? How strict are you about late work, and how often do you assign homework, and what kinds of projects or assignments are most useful for what kinds of classes? Put all this into a heap, call it your rough-draft teaching statement, and then edit it. Have others look at the result; they will give you good, solid, experienced and contradictory advice. "No, leave out this paragraph; it makes you look unprofessional." "What? Why did you leave out that paragraph? It goes straight to the heart of what a search committee is looking for!" Take from the contradictory advice the somewhat reassuring observation that all these people got jobs despite making errors in one anothers' views, so that you really can't go too far wrong with what you've got. Send that sucker out, after making whatever changes they suggest that sound right to you. Good luck. |
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Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
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abdbcb
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« Reply #5686 on: September 03, 2009, 10:21:34 PM » |
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so I sent an email to the department inquiring about the 'other document' requested on the online app that was not specified anywhere (see my post #5769 above) and so far nothing, except be certain that it will somehow blacklist me for the job...
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ufo_tofu
Soy-based
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 1,911
Illegitimi non carborundum
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« Reply #5687 on: September 03, 2009, 10:26:33 PM » |
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Yay! The first job I can apply to was just posted! At least there's one! I think it's a bit 'above' me, but still worth a try.
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Wash: Don't know. I'm starting to like this poetry thing. "Here lies my beloved Zoe, my autumn flower… somewhat less attractive now that she's all corpsified and gross-" [Zoe hits him with a pillow]
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hibiscus
Junior member
Posts: 57
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« Reply #5688 on: September 04, 2009, 04:07:47 AM » |
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That's a cheery post ufo-tofu. Good luck!
So, .. I interviewed as scheduled. There was dramatic rain, thunder and lightening lashing against the big bay windows in the board room where I interacted with the SC panel. Quite the atmospherics! It was somewhat easy going, but I could sense that scrutiny for every little sign that could enrich interpretation of what I was verbalizing was being attempted. That's cool. It went well. There was very positive acknowledgement on my writing, already elucidating the issues under discussion and there seemed to me to be a greater interest in gaging the personality. There ought to be a decision in a month. Am holding my breath. I know there's a separate thread for that but I'll do it here with my job seeking friends :-)
Hibiscus
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locutus
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« Reply #5689 on: September 04, 2009, 09:09:43 AM » |
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Nice screen name Hibiscus.
Not on the market this year (thank the maker). Though to my surprise my former department is hiring again this year. I think a broad jr. level search. So at least one person will be getting a job in my field this year.
Good luck to all.
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Render unto Geedorah what is Geedorah's.
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mouseman
Oh dear, how did I become a
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,947
The Validater/Validator-in-Chief
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« Reply #5690 on: September 10, 2009, 05:59:31 PM » |
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And it begins... Wikijection for a position that was posted late last cycle, crickets for two early deadlines, and a half-dozen new jobs posted for my masochistic pleasure.
On the other hand, I'm having many meetings with the people in my new department to deal with the paperwork required for getting my new courses on the books. So, I have to convince people that these multidisciplinary courses have enough content from their specific discipline. One course is good to go, but we have just been notified by one of the departments involved that they only are willing to offer undergraduate courses given by people with a PhD in their field They claim that it will hurt their accreditation or something). So, I guess that multidisciplinary means different things to different people. Oh, well.
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In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.
Lewis Carroll
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moonwort
New member
Posts: 14
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« Reply #5691 on: September 10, 2009, 11:07:11 PM » |
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Yes, Lewis Carroll and you have summarized the fear and loathing of interdisciplinary PhDs in your epigram:
"For the Snark was a Boojum, you see."
Boojums are too imaginary for many of those with genre-specific degrees. It seems to help if you got your degree from one of the Ivies. In the end though those of us with interdisciplinary degrees are often threatening to students, colleagues, and administrators in our non-containment. And befuddling to our relatives, but that's another story.
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prof_smartypants
Treasure-pilferin' and grog-swillin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,613
Kiss the baby!
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« Reply #5692 on: September 11, 2009, 08:04:41 AM » |
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Whoosh....
And so the 2010 job market begins. I just sent off my first application package. Any takers on the number of typos I find in my cover letter next time I look at it?
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Welcome to college, motherf*cker.
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dellaroux
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« Reply #5693 on: September 11, 2009, 12:01:49 PM » |
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None-0-because you used the spell-checked version from last year as a base?
Good luck!
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Pax in terra choreagibus
Ballo non bello parare
How am I?: There are four levels: Alive, Alert, Awake & Functioning. Right now, I'm standing upright & moving forward.
We are gifted superfluously--the cosmos is more generous than we can ask or imagine.
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conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,658
Tends to have warped sense of humor
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« Reply #5694 on: September 11, 2009, 01:28:49 PM » |
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Whoosh....
And so the 2010 job market begins. I just sent off my first application package. Any takers on the number of typos I find in my cover letter next time I look at it?
I'll guess two, just to be annoying. I have done this myself. Luckily, as a SC member, I was also not terribly judgmental, so maybe good karma helped. |
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Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
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chemxtree
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« Reply #5695 on: September 11, 2009, 05:00:47 PM » |
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Am I nuts to make a document of posted TT positions of interest??? My list is now quite long with 24 R1/R2 unis and 11 MS/PUI/SLACs...
Gotta go through it appropriately with wifey to eliminate her non-starters. To me it's organization, to her it's nothing... just get the job.
First hard deadline is the 25th and then 10/1 and 10/15... CRUNCH TIME!
Oh yeah... what's the deal with transcripts, especially undergrad???
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prof_smartypants
Treasure-pilferin' and grog-swillin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,613
Kiss the baby!
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« Reply #5696 on: September 11, 2009, 05:44:17 PM » |
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Absolutely not, chemxtree. I have an excel file. It's got the position, school, required materials, due date, and then some check offs for me - date submitted, acknowledgement date, interview, result...
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Welcome to college, motherf*cker.
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chemxtree
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« Reply #5697 on: September 11, 2009, 06:15:12 PM » |
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thanks prof_sp... your post reminded me that i did this for myself a couple years ago when i was searching for my post-doc / job opportunity. gonna have to go dig through my old laptop files/dvds to find it. i remember really liking the format i created.
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prephd
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« Reply #5698 on: September 11, 2009, 07:26:42 PM » |
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Absolutely not, chemxtree. I have an excel file. It's got the position, school, required materials, due date, and then some check offs for me - date submitted, acknowledgement date, interview, result...
Ditto. How else could you keep track of all of that nonsense? |
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Prephd, in all that black, you are like the anti-pink-me. Freewill is a beeyaaatch
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abdbcb
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« Reply #5699 on: September 11, 2009, 08:41:47 PM » |
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It's easy to keep track in my field. So far only three positions. Last year I sent out less than 20 packages. So I haven't bothered with a spreadsheet. I have a system on my calendar that warns me of deadlines a week before. Though the VAP I am in now I got after sending the app in late.
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