Professor mamas 2011 - Page 6

[Dmitrizmom]

so... I got a phone call from the school I interviewed with.  Mr. M. (the department chair) asked if I had received a letter from them that day.  I said no, that I hadn't checked my mail yet.  He says, "when you get the letter, just throw it away and don't read it.  Several letters were sent out in error." and goes on to say that I'm still in the running for the position but now there are 6 names in the mix (as opposed to the 3 that there were when I interviewed).  And they are planning on making a decision by Memorial Day (keep in mind they want a mid-June start date). 

What do you ladies think?

[kerc]

What's the job? Tenure track? Professor? Instructor?

Sometimes at our local community college stuff like that goes on when they do a poor job definition the position initially (or move forward with a search before the pool is complete).

[Dmitrizmom]

full time, tenure track, coming in (likely) as asst. prof.  It is a doctoral level graduate school where the faculty are unionized. (don't know if that makes a difference or not)

I got a heads up about the position from the department chair (who I worked for when I was a student) in early March.  It listed the end of March, I interviewed the first week of May.

[kerc]

Originally Posted by Dmitrizmom 

full time, tenure track, coming in (likely) as asst. prof.  It is a doctoral level graduate school where the faculty are unionized. (don't know if that makes a difference or not)

IMO makes it more puzzling -- at my school, the union rules are pretty specific about how a search is executed.

[kaybee]

Originally Posted by Dmitrizmom 

so... I got a phone call from the school I interviewed with.  Mr. M. (the department chair) asked if I had received a letter from them that day.  I said no, that I hadn't checked my mail yet.  He says, "when you get the letter, just throw it away and don't read it.  Several letters were sent out in error." and goes on to say that I'm still in the running for the position but now there are 6 names in the mix (as opposed to the 3 that there were when I interviewed).  And they are planning on making a decision by Memorial Day (keep in mind they want a mid-June start date). 

What do you ladies think?

It sounds like someone screwed up.  But beyond that - it's all speculation.  I admit, my curiosity wouldn't let me just throw away the letter without looking at it...  The increase in the pool size could just be some regulation - maybe they invited too few people in and now have to increase the pool size appropriately before making a final offer - ?

My first graduate student defended this morning.  She did a really good job, and I'm proud of her.  I'm a bit miffed though that A) very few faculty showed up (unfortunately, this is common), and B) another grad student spent the entire time cutting rocks in the rock saw room down the hall.  Actually, the rock saw is currently the bane of my existence.  BuzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ!  Anyone have noise-cancelling headphones?  Do they work?

[kerc]

Originally Posted by kaybee 

My first graduate student defended this morning.  She did a really good job, and I'm proud of her.  I'm a bit miffed though that A) very few faculty showed up (unfortunately, this is common), and B) another grad student spent the entire time cutting rocks in the rock saw room down the hall.  Actually, the rock saw is currently the bane of my existence.  BuzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ!  Anyone have noise-cancelling headphones?  Do they work?

YAY!

On the rock saw:  is the door closed? IME it makes a significant difference in the noise (remember my office used to be right across the hall AND at the time there was someone paid to make thin sections in there).

Noise canceling headphones: they work, but I don't own any. That would have been a brilliant purchase before the cubicle work began this semester.

[tccandlsccmom]

Summer school, survived weel one  Great students, but I am tired already....only teaching because I need the money for my custody battle (ugh).  When exactly will I make time to write?

[Dmitrizmom]

Finally heard on the job.  They picked a different candidate and I'm feeling... relieved.  

I have the summer to spend with my kids, work on my business, and prep for the 14.4 hours I'm teaching this fall.  I plan on enjoying the time.

[XanaduMama]

Hi professor mamas! Anyone want to respond to my [=http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1317748/working-mamas-esp-professors-anyone-with-more-than-2-kids]thread[/] about having a career *and* more than 2 kids? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[XanaduMama]

Oops, sorry, the link is wonky (trying to MDC on the iPhone...really frustrating!). But the thread is there on the front page of Working & Student Parents, so come on over and chime in if you feel like it. Hope you're all having a productive and/or restorative summer so far!

[Realrellim]

So, I got a call from my department chair yesterday and discovered that rather than the three classes I have been teaching I'll probably only have one.

I'd been considering the possibility that I might only have two this fall, but wasn't expecting only one.

On a purely theoretical level, the reason for it is good: the department added some full-time positions (with benefits!), but because the positions are mostly lecturer positions it means those people have to teach five classes a semester (tenured/tenure-track faculty only teach four; the rest of us get paid per credit hour). Thus, there are less sections left for the adjuncts. That said, I'm really bummed that it looks like I'll be teaching one music appreciation section rather than my beloved world music class.

I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to do a bunch of writing rather than focus on the loss of income. I'm toying with the idea of sending a resume to another local college, except I'm a little concerned about scheduling. Three classes a semester is fine if at least one is online and/or the classroom sections are scheduled close together. Being at two different campuses four days week stinks. I did that when R was little and thought I'd lose my mind. I shudder to think about how that would work with school drop-of and pick-up added in. In theory, it could be fine, or alternately, it could be a nightmare.

Ack. And I know we don't absolutely need the money, but it makes things just a little tighter and has set off all my anxiety about what I'm going to do for a more stable job situation once J is in school in a few years.

[kerc]

Originally Posted by Realrellim 

So, I got a call from my department chair yesterday and discovered that rather than the three classes I have been teaching I'll probably only have one.

I'd been considering the possibility that I might only have two this fall, but wasn't expecting only one.

On a purely theoretical level, the reason for it is good: the department added some full-time positions (with benefits!), but because the positions are mostly lecturer positions it means those people have to teach five classes a semester (tenured/tenure-track faculty only teach four; the rest of us get paid per credit hour). Thus, there are less sections left for the adjuncts. That said, I'm really bummed that it looks like I'll be teaching one music appreciation section rather than my beloved world music class.

I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to do a bunch of writing rather than focus on the loss of income. I'm toying with the idea of sending a resume to another local college, except I'm a little concerned about scheduling. Three classes a semester is fine if at least one is online and/or the classroom sections are scheduled close together. Being at two different campuses four days week stinks. I did that when R was little and thought I'd lose my mind. I shudder to think about how that would work with school drop-of and pick-up added in. In theory, it could be fine, or alternately, it could be a nightmare.

Ack. And I know we don't absolutely need the money, but it makes things just a little tighter and has set off all my anxiety about what I'm going to do for a more stable job situation once J is in school in a few years.

That is a serious bummer Lisa. I know the adjunct routine well. Blech no fun. We are currently wondering how many courses dh will be teaching this fall. Certainly not as many as last spring (thank goodness)!  But is it "buy an optional new fridge" time or "continue with our current fridge that keeps the food cold, but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of breaking shelves and space"?

Just had a fun chat with the chair of the department in which I figured out how to get him to ask me to teach the courses I want to teach, when I want to teach them. Leaving myself a sweet schedule for the next year. Just have to run it by the other main office that does the scheduling. Good news on the kid front, good news on the home front and most importantly, it leaves me 2 days to write (papers and lectures) at my office.

Writing an online class this summer. Software is pissing me off royally.

Writing a grant proposal I think too this summer.

Summer is suddenly feeling very very short.

[gozal]

Hi professor mamas - is it okay if I jump in and ask you a question? I'm not a professor yet; I'm finishing my PhD now. Please let me know if I need to move this, but I figured this was the best place to get advice from moms who know what it's like to be professors.

Well, I'm sure you've heard this before, but...can you tell me, honestly, what it's like being t/t with small children? I definitely know that it can be done, balancing the professorate with family and children, so what I'm asking is, what is it actually like for you?

For background, I work in a relatively obscure field of the humanities. I think I can reasonably assume that if I pursued it, I could find something in academia. I did not get into this career because I love to teach. I don't, and I'm not talented at it (although I value teaching and education greatly). What I do enjoy and am good at is research and writing.

I always assumed I'd be on the t/t, job market allowing. Now, however, here with the end of my degree in sight, I'm not sure it's right for me or for my family. For one thing, I'm just not as passionate and driven about my work as I used to be before I had DS. I still enjoy it greatly and believe in its importance, but the burning curiosity is gone. I'm not sure I have the energy to devote every scrap of time when I'm not parenting to my work, as I did when DS was born and I was preparing for comps and I would happily read and take elaborate notes on 2 hours of sleep while he napped. Writing a diss., I make my own hours and am primarily responsible to myself, and I've gotten very used to that. I feel like my life has a balance to it that I used to dream of when the academic calendar determined everything for me. I'm half-heartedly thinking of looking for a postdoc locally while DH keeps his job, which he loves. (Pays peanuts but we can live from it.) It doesn't make sense to me to drag my family to wherever the jobs are when I want to be home and DH wants to work at this time.

I'm terrified when I think of not pursuing t/t. There are some projects (mostly writing or new-media related) that I can see myself getting involved in, but there is no clear path outside of academia. I might get these jobs, I might not. I can always teach, yes, but my specialty is not useful in that regard and as I said I don't like teaching. I'm afraid of squandering my knowledge, of having to do unfulfilling or boring work, I'm afraid of being disappointed in myself later. If I walk away, getting back is impossible, isn't it? Any advice? Wisdom? I would really appreciate it - thank you.

[kaybee]

Hi Gozal!  I've been asked this a lot lately - what's it like being a t/t professor with small kids?  All I can say is that it is extremely busy.  Being a new professor is very time-consuming - even if research is your specialty, you'll be teaching unless you find a research-only position.  So there are new class preps, lectures, labs, grading, office hours, etc.  If you have a job with a research component there are grant proposals to write, papers to finish, research to do, students to mentor, grad students, etc.  And then try doing it only during normal working hours because you have little kids at home and when you are home, you want to be with them.  I find that, for the most part, I CAN do it during working hours plus some travel.  But just barely.

I love the flexibility I have with my job, but I do feel stretched thin.  There's not much "me" time, and I always feel like I'm behind on something.  I survive by being in collaborations for research - I always have someone looking over my shoulder to make sure I'm pulling my weight, plus there are always students/postdocs/etc. who are moving the project forward.  Now that I've taught for a few years, the teaching component is less work because there's less prep time.  But I still feel like I'm behind on writing. 

That all being said, I love my kids and I feel like it's definitely do-able, especially if you have a supportive department.  If you are losing the passion for your work, it can be hard to self-motivate, esp if teaching doesn't spark your interest either.  Are there post-doc possibilities?  Or is your line of work something you can move to the private sector?  Or work for a non-profit?  I have a friend who spent several years as a t/t professor and just left to do research for a nonprofit in DC.  She loves it.  She is doing research that makes a difference and doesn't have to deal with the crap that often afflicts academia.  The point is that there are positions out there that involve research but aren't in academia. 

[gozal]

Kaybee, thank you, that's really helpful! That makes a lot of sense to me, enjoying the flexibility and the work but feeling stretched thin. It might be ultimately where I find myself as well. I am trying to find out more about "non-traditional" paths for PhDs as well as traditional opportunities out there that might suit me and our family. I have some general ideas about where to look outside of academia, but when I read specific job postings, they all seem highly administrative. My husband and I are talking about trying to stretch out my immediate post-grad years until our family is a bit older and then maybe it will be a better time to pursue a position. Not sure how realistic that is, but am realizing I'm okay with it not happening, too.

[kerc]

Gozal --> in a nutshell you just summed up how I felt from about when dd2 was conceived (unplanned) and I knew I didn't want to feel stretched forever. I muddled through and ultimately decided to seek out a teaching position at a low-scholarship requirement institution. Personally my ideal spot would be teaching part time (50-75%). But I have a tenure track job at a very small public university. My life is crazy, but mostly because family occupies a lot of my time because initially we didn't have the $$ to do full time care and then I really liked it and it worked for our kids. My kids are both school-aged this year, I've had a secure job for a year now and finances are straightening out nicely.  My life is mostly teaching, scholarship can be a very small portion of my workload.

On the other side of the whole process I'm seeing my life with a new lens. Everyone kept telling me I was good at science, I should keep doing it. Somehow (while doing it) I felt like I should do it -- both because I was supposedly good at it and also because I was a woman and we need more women in STEM fields. Now ... I realize with more self confidence I would have left science long ago and may someday when my grad loans are paid off. I'm actually better at some fields other than science and like them more. 

One tidbit I will share: as your kids get older they tend to need you less at night. Which means you're (usually) sleeping better and usually are more focused during the day.

[Realrellim]

Originally Posted by gozal 

If I walk away, getting back is impossible, isn't it?

Not necessarily. DH thought that way too. After doing a post-doc, he worked in the private sector for a few years while teaching a night class at a local university. He hated his day job after a while, and while he was looking for something else a t/t spot came open at a different university. It was a great fit and he was hired.

A couple of things really worked in his favor. The first is that while in the private sector (a managed care company), he frequently wrote grant applications and articles based on the research they were doing for the line of work he was in. This has obvious practical applications for the t/t job, where so much of his salary has to be grant-funded anyhow. A second is that although he's a clinical psychologist, he's t/t in the nursing department, teaching stats and research methods, and directing the Center for Nursing Research. He had the stats and research methods teaching experience from teaching the evening classes at the other school, and the subject matter was stuff he was already applying daily in his private sector job. It probably also helps that there weren't many psychologists looking for jobs in departments other than nursing too.

One other thing I'll add is about post-docs. He had to do one after getting his degree because that's basically the way all psychologists get licensed, but it was also a fabulous opportunity. When he started the year-long program, they told him that he'd get to meet anyone who was anyone in psychology in the Denver area. 'Tis true, and that's been an extremely valuable network for us ever since. It's probably less useful if you're thinking about moving, but if not it's worth looking into.

kerc--I hear you about the "do we need to make this purchase this year" discussion. I was thinking about a new bedspread, as ours is wearing very thin and possibly a new refrigerator. Those are going to have to wait. It doesn't help matters that we're currently spending the bedspread money on pest control to get the rats out of my backyard. (In good news, I haven't seen any in two days, and my neighbor has trapped four. Hopefully they'll all go away before fall weather sets in.) Honestly, between the rats and the job news all in one week, and having to take my car in for service, it's been all I can do to not hide under a rock. Except it would have to be a rock not in my backyard because I'm totally wigged out by knowing there are rats out there.

[kerc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Realrellim 
Honestly, between the rats and the job news all in one week, and having to take my car in for service, it's been all I can do to not hide under a rock. Except it would have to be a rock not in my backyard because I'm totally wigged out by knowing there are rats out there.

I hear you. And I have a rock to hide under -- they just graded the alleyway (dirt) behind my house and apparently there's a giant boulder there.  And the dude with the grader just left said rock exposed for us to drive over. I hope the rats are gone soon. I'm dreading bad news from dh's deans -- I feel it coming, but can't say exactly when KWIM?

[Geofizz]

Would bunnies work for you, Lisa? Our backyard has lots of rocks, but is infested with bunnies.  I've never seen a rat out there, though...

5 papers finished in July.  This week I've been fried.... I could even get paper 6 out to coauthors today if I could see straight.

[kerc]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

5 papers finished in July.  This week I've been fried.... I could even get paper 6 out to coauthors today if I could see straight.

I thought the craziness ends after the board of regents votes yes?

Content all written for class I'm writing this summer. New deadline for a grant I'm working on dropped in my lap last night  (gasp). I'll probably make it, but geez. Also houseguests all weekend + Boundary Waters canoe trip next week. We'll see if we make it there.