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Author Topic: the white elephant  (Read 10308 times)
uggggh
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« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2008, 11:52:05 PM »

I'm also wondering if there is a language/language use issue here. A "white elephant" is something useless you have lying around your house. An "elephant in the room" is the metaphor for a major issue that no one is talking about, while everyone pretends not to notice it's there. Your use of "white elephant" for this thread implies that you're not familiar with the English language, or that you are sometimes misusing idiomatic expressions. In light of this, I really urge you to have someone review your application materials, since awkward or incorrect phrasing can have a major impact in a very competitive job market.

LOL-  No...there isn't a language issue.  I can assure you that my materials are well in order.  Actually, both metaphors apply equally....at least the way I feel.  Thanks
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concordancia
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« Reply #16 on: April 25, 2008, 12:06:37 AM »

I'm also wondering if there is a language/language use issue here. A "white elephant" is something useless you have lying around your house. An "elephant in the room" is the metaphor for a major issue that no one is talking about, while everyone pretends not to notice it's there. Your use of "white elephant" for this thread implies that you're not familiar with the English language, or that you are sometimes misusing idiomatic expressions. In light of this, I really urge you to have someone review your application materials, since awkward or incorrect phrasing can have a major impact in a very competitive job market.

Whew, I thought it was me. I am having one of those "Yes, English is my native language" days.
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msparticularity
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Assistant Professor cum bricoleur


« Reply #17 on: April 25, 2008, 12:10:34 AM »

I don't think you can really say that any one thing hurts your chances unless you happen to come off as arrogant or get really nervous during interviews. Otherwise, its really just a matter of whether your experience matches the school. Do you apply for jobs at R1s and not have enough publications? Or, apply to teaching oriented colleges and not give enough evidence of great teaching? Think along the lines of which sort of institution you'd most like to be at, and try to see how you fit that, and can improve the fit.



Thanks.....I don't apply to R1....I am not interested in that...only teaching.  I have won awards for teaching and I have a lot of evidence of successful teaching.  I don't believe that I come off arrogant, but my ability to sense this might not be that acute.....

This makes it sound as if you have no research credentials, and/or your application packet makes it clear that you have no interest in doing ongoing research. As other threads indicate, this will NOT get you a job in a four-year college. Even schools that prioritize teaching skills want their faculty to remain current in the field, as witnessed by some research.
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey

"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
oldadjunct
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LIFO. Enough said.


« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2008, 12:12:01 AM »

I'm also wondering if there is a language/language use issue here. A "white elephant" is something useless you have lying around your house. An "elephant in the room" is the metaphor for a major issue that no one is talking about, while everyone pretends not to notice it's there. Your use of "white elephant" for this thread implies that you're not familiar with the English language, or that you are sometimes misusing idiomatic expressions. In light of this, I really urge you to have someone review your application materials, since awkward or incorrect phrasing can have a major impact in a very competitive job market.

LOL-  No...there isn't a language issue.  I can assure you that my materials are well in order.  Actually, both metaphors apply equally....at least the way I feel.  Thanks

I am sorry, but no the idiom of the "white elephant" does not work equally well as "elephant in the room" unless you feel you are a "white elephant".  Your inability to recognize that is an indication of either your ESL status, or your inability to accept advice.  The former is excusable, the latter is not.
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Fiction is baseball; Rhetoric is football.
secretweapon
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« Reply #19 on: April 25, 2008, 03:58:39 AM »

I have never had an interview that was anything comparable to those of friends and colleagues...all of them seem to have some "strange" context....

What does this mean?  Could you explain a bit more? 
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