tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post840328941033894531..comments2024-02-28T18:29:41.120-08:00Comments on Not of General Interest: At the Chronicle: Good Deeds That Are Most Punished, Part 1undinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-66848719701574399232012-02-09T11:26:07.194-08:002012-02-09T11:26:07.194-08:00I've been told teaching was dangerous to spend...I've been told teaching was dangerous to spend time on since before I was weaned, and I am terrified to teach for this reason. I feel nervous and guilty about it; I envision the limbs I will have chopped off and thrown in the fire if it is discovered I made a handout for the students or anything like this. I am not exaggerating.<br /><br />I guess some people are able to spend too much time teaching, but I never could - first, I was a graduate student and had classes and exams and a dissertation, so I only had a certain amount of time to spend on teaching, and then later I was a professor, so I had several classes and other responsibilities so still could only spend a certain amount of time on teaching.<br /><br />I think most people have this situation. Why is it that we're constantly told to cut more and more corners on teaching?Zhttp://profacero.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-45087378866509533732012-02-08T07:36:33.419-08:002012-02-08T07:36:33.419-08:00heu mihi, you're right: this does vary by inst...heu mihi, you're right: this does vary by institution. The law of diminishing returns definitely applies: being on four committees is not better than being on two. I'm not sure whether chairing a committee, with all the extra work, makes more of a service dent at the higher admin review levels, but it ought to.undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05589384016564587214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22001031.post-73291465998625422002012-02-08T05:47:50.930-08:002012-02-08T05:47:50.930-08:00I think you're right on, but I must add that t...I think you're right on, but I must add that there's some institutional specificity here. Spending hours on teaching and being a good colleague (in the service/active on campus sense) is decidedly more important at my institution than having a stellar publishing record; certainly you won't get tenure if you DON'T teach well and engage in service or the life of the College. But we have plenty of tenured faculty who have never had an active research agenda.<br /><br />However, there's a point of diminishing returns; e.g. serving on four committees won't get you any more tenured than serving on one or two. So the point stands, even with my qualification. (And you need some publications to get promoted to full, at any rate, though not a whole lot of them.)heu mihihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08529298049179816825noreply@blogger.com