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Professor Mamas in 2009

28K views 559 replies 43 participants last post by  Carita 
#1 ·
Welcome Professor Mamas! Here's your place for advice, commiseration, and celebration of life as a mom and professor.

2008 Thread
 
#177 ·


I'm an academic staff member at a small state school. I'm 67% time with 10 contact hours. I was there last year and they *might* hire someone FT/TT this academic year and several people have hinted they'd like it to be me, including the other geologist and the geographer. (I'm in a science dept but teach geology).

Recently they asked me if I wanted to move offices from the storage closet/prep room off the geology lab. I hesitated because there is a part of me that wanted no one to know when I was coming or going (again I'm PT). But I decided that the personal safety issue is WAY better in the new spot.

I moved this weekend and since then I've been bombarded with people (faculty) asking me to do crap that I'm not paid to do (my FT salary is ~14 or 15 thousand dollars less than a prof with the same load). Am I just supposed to suck it up and do the geology scheduling/write the material for the course catalog/etc.? Is there a polite way to back out of some of it? How should I decide?
 
#178 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by namaste_mom View Post
Check out the end of the siggy. If you know me IRL, shhh! This will be kept quiet for a couple of months...maybe ummm December....it will be apparent that I'm not drinking at AGU.
congrats and I will gladly join you for a n/a beer or other beverage at agu.
 
#179 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kerc View Post


I'm an academic staff member at a small state school. I'm 67% time with 10 contact hours. I was there last year and they *might* hire someone FT/TT this academic year and several people have hinted they'd like it to be me, including the other geologist and the geographer. (I'm in a science dept but teach geology).

Recently they asked me if I wanted to move offices from the storage closet/prep room off the geology lab. I hesitated because there is a part of me that wanted no one to know when I was coming or going (again I'm PT). But I decided that the personal safety issue is WAY better in the new spot.

I moved this weekend and since then I've been bombarded with people (faculty) asking me to do crap that I'm not paid to do (my FT salary is ~14 or 15 thousand dollars less than a prof with the same load). Am I just supposed to suck it up and do the geology scheduling/write the material for the course catalog/etc.? Is there a polite way to back out of some of it? How should I decide?
Oooh, I wouldn't even be polite about it. If it's not in your job description, you shouldn't get stuck with it.

Writing descriptions for your own courses? Sure. For anything else? No. Scheduling? Nope.

IME if you volunteer/say yes, it's your job for life. So being firm now will pay you back tenfold when you're not stuck with a bunch of crap unpaid.
 
#180 ·
kerc - There are pofessors who are assigned those tasks, like updating the catolog. They are totally unloading their responsiblity on you. I would politely decline indicated that your load is very full. I know you want to not burn any bridges so that maybe you can get full time employment but you can only bend so far and take on so much of a load.

Thanks All for the wishing on the pregnancy.

Rock Dr. I'll join you for that n/a beer
 
#181 ·
i agree, kerc, on treading lightly but firmly. I can't remember, how's your relationship with the chair and can he/she step in if necessary? if any of these things coming your way seem easy and also in your best interest- something that will help you in the long run with relatively small investment now - you might agree to do that if and only if that's the only additional thing. then you can always say that you'd love to help but already agreed to do X. these days, I hardly ever agree to do something extra without something else for me in return, I learned it from my own colleagues.
 
#183 ·
Followup question -- I received this from a student
I am expecting around November 29th. I plan on being back for finals, hoping the pregnancy goes well and there are no complications. I am hoping you are willing to work with me, regarding tests, assignments, or labs I may miss out on. You know how pregnancy goes
Hopefully the baby stays in there as long as possible so I can make it as far as possible through the semester, but you just never know. But my advisor told me to contact all my professors and fill them in with the appropriate information.

This is a student who might have shared this information with me before I added her to the class (after the add deadline). She's a decent student thus far, but I don't know if I think she's being realistic (having been pregnant and had a baby in grad school on Nov 5th, not a giant undergrad class - I took an incomplete).

How do you all handle it?
 
#184 ·
Those situations don't often end well. I had a student who had a baby early in the semester. I gave her an incomplete (that she requested) but she didn't make up the work in the next 6 weeks so she ended up with an F anyhow. Though I've also had students who did just fine. Those were all in my online classes.

Our incomplete policy is that they need to have completed 75% of the work in order to get an incomplete, and that the work needs to be completed within 1-2 months after the end of the semester (exact dates agreed to by instructor and student). Happily, it's a departmental policy, so it's not like I'm making up--but I also think you're well within your rights to decide on an incomplete policy and stick to it.

I usually make some accommodations for pregnant women, like sometimes eliminating an assignment (like a discussion that they missed) and calculating their grade differently (out of 900 rather than 1000 points)--but my classes don't include labs.

Maybe you need to tell her that if she does run into complications before the semester's halfway point, that she'll need to look into a medical drop for the class? I can't imagine how she'd make up a couple of month's worth of labs. I think most schools have a clause about medical emergencies and students.
 
#185 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by kerc View Post
Followup question -- I received this from a student
I am expecting around November 29th. I plan on being back for finals, hoping the pregnancy goes well and there are no complications. I am hoping you are willing to work with me, regarding tests, assignments, or labs I may miss out on. You know how pregnancy goes
Hopefully the baby stays in there as long as possible so I can make it as far as possible through the semester, but you just never know. But my advisor told me to contact all my professors and fill them in with the appropriate information.

This is a student who might have shared this information with me before I added her to the class (after the add deadline). She's a decent student thus far, but I don't know if I think she's being realistic (having been pregnant and had a baby in grad school on Nov 5th, not a giant undergrad class - I took an incomplete).

How do you all handle it?
I think the last time this happened to me the student came to me before registering for the course. She couldn't find the adjunct who was going to teach the lab she was interested in, and she came to me as chair to ask me if she would be able to make up any missed work after her baby's upcoming birth.

It's best if it's done face to face. First, I heartily congratulated her and said that she must be soooo excited! Then I got out the calendar and had her show me her due date, and then I showed her the day of the last day of classes. In this student's case, she was talking about a physics lab and would have missed four weeks of lab. I told her that there was no way we could set up the equipment for four experiments just for her. If she were going to miss only one lab, the instructor might have discretion to drop a goose egg lab report, but 4 labs out of a possible 12? Surely she could see that it wasn't reasonable.

And that's what I tend to do. I talk to the student so that they know that I assume that they can see the fairness issue and the professor's point of view. I point out all the ways that their education would suffer if I gave them what they wanted. For example, if I could miraculously let them make up the four labs, the student wouldn't have the valuable learning opportunity of working with the lab partner.

Many times the student doesn't understand the purpose of the incomplete. In our institution, even if the student has a perfectly good reason for an incomplete, the instructor doesn't have any obligation to give the incomplete. Students assume that the instructor will have to give an incomplete, when in fact the instructor has every right to turn the student down. So when I tell them that sometimes our adjuncts (or even full time teaching staff) disappear during the summer and aren't available to supervise incomplete work, they understand the situation better and are more accepting that an incomplete won't work.

In the end, after I laid down the facts in a respectful way, the student decided not to register for the course. But I made it seem like she made the decision, not me. I used a few key phrases. "I'm sorry I didn't give you the answer you wanted, but I know you'd rather know now, so that you can plan, instead of find out later the hard way." and "I'm so glad you came to ask me, it never hurts to ask."

Since your student is already enrolled in the course, I would ask her to come in person. Then I would ask her how her pregnancy is going. I would say that so far so good, but do you have a backup plan if your baby comes early or baby doesn't sleep well? I would be up front about what concessions I would be willing to give her. I.e. she could take the final exam two weeks after the end of the semester, and even bring the baby if she wants, but all of the assignments have to be turned in before the end of the semester. Whatever you are willing to do. Then give her some scenarios that you aren't willing to do. For example, if she misses which assignments and tests, there will be no makeup for those. Then also make clear that the incomplete is not indefinitely extendable. If by the first deadline, the work is not made up satisfactorily, then it automatically becomes an F, or whatever. I think the student will appreciate those accommodations that you are willing to offer, and understand that you need to set limits on what you won't allow, as long as you don't wait until too late to make it clear to her.

Several times, I have had students ask me for an incomplete, and I have said, "I'm sorry, I wish I could, but after the semester is over, I am already overextended with my commitments and obligations. I could not give you the attention that you deserve. Thank you for asking, however."

Finally, I have said, "I'm sorry, but the Head Registrar personally told me that the incomplete must not be used in situations just like this. You may give him a call if you wish." (I talked to the Head Registrar and he told me that if there is any reason I don't want to give an incomplete, then I don't have to and he will back me up on it.)
 
#186 ·
One of my students had a baby mid-semester last year. She took off (iirc) one week of classes. I had her do her midterm exam at home, prior to her delivery, and then get notes from a classmate for the time she missed.

In her favor: second kid, so she knew what she was in for, and she was a nursing major and thus used to being very, very on top of her work. She was really organized about it and communicated with me well.

Also, religion course, so she didn't have labs or anything like that to worry about.
 
#187 ·
Good day yesterday!

I got a paper back from review with the most mild recommendations for changes. I hope to whip it out today.

I got my 4 year review back from the college. 3 "strongly positive" and 1 "positive" vote on my case. The dean recommended to my chair that I not be assigned any new classes to teach in the next two years. (I've taught 7 distinct courses in less than 4 years here.) They also clearly considered my tenure delay properly, whereas I know that the discussion in the department P&T meeting was not legal.

Mineralogy is full this year. Eeek.
 
#189 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by namaste_mom View Post
TENURE PACKAGE IS IN!!!!

I had to stay up to 3:30 am to get it done but now it is done. I am so behind with everything that I should have been doing but had to delay to get it in.
Yay!

And good news Geofizz! It's always good to hear other people's success stories in moving towards tenureland.
 
#190 ·
Holy conference paper, batman.

Good small conference, got a request to turn the paper into an article (from a journal editor), good response to the paper.

Too much socializing; four hours of sleep. Did I mention I'm showing a film in my 10:00 tomorrow?


Still, it was a really fun weekend.
 
#191 ·
Hi all, I'm chiming in here. I hope it's okay.

I used to be a professor of political science (comparative politics/middle east). After I finished my doctorate I took a couple of one-years, then two policy (applied) post docs. Then I had kids! So in the interim decade I've done a couple adjunct stints as well as teaching AP courses in a private high school.

In the meantime, I've published, but all applied/policy stuff and some mainstream media articles.

Now I'm looking to get back in the game, but it doesn't look good. We're living in nowheresville, due to a job situation with dh (who is a surgeon). My field is pretty tight as it is, and definitely in these parts -- although I might be able to finagle an adjunct spot in a related field.

Sigh. I guess I'm just looking for cameraderie and some advice if anyone has re-engineered their curriculum vitae for something more...commercial. I don't do very well in mainstream office/business situations (I kind of lose patience with the nonsense, although I am able to handle it in academia because I can do my own thing); however it might be necessary to suck it up and go into something more corporate for the sake of family finances.

Has anyone else made that shift?

And, if anyone has taken a long-term hiatus from academia, have you been able to re-enter in your field?

Thanks!
 
#192 ·
yay D. and geofizz! I love hearing some good tenure news.
and Penelope, conference papers can be great when it's streamlined like that, good to hear.
welcome to nikolaberry - I'm afraid I don't have much advice except that I would think experience in mideast politics would be pretty marketable. if location isn't ideal maybe even some distance jobs/work from home/consulting gigs could be possible?
 
#193 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickarolaberry View Post
Hi all, I'm chiming in here. I hope it's okay.

I used to be a professor of political science (comparative politics/middle east). After I finished my doctorate I took a couple of one-years, then two policy (applied) post docs. Then I had kids! So in the interim decade I've done a couple adjunct stints as well as teaching AP courses in a private high school.

In the meantime, I've published, but all applied/policy stuff and some mainstream media articles.

Now I'm looking to get back in the game, but it doesn't look good. We're living in nowheresville, due to a job situation with dh (who is a surgeon). My field is pretty tight as it is, and definitely in these parts -- although I might be able to finagle an adjunct spot in a related field.

Sigh. I guess I'm just looking for cameraderie and some advice if anyone has re-engineered their curriculum vitae for something more...commercial. I don't do very well in mainstream office/business situations (I kind of lose patience with the nonsense, although I am able to handle it in academia because I can do my own thing); however it might be necessary to suck it up and go into something more corporate for the sake of family finances.

Has anyone else made that shift?

And, if anyone has taken a long-term hiatus from academia, have you been able to re-enter in your field?

Thanks!
Nickarolaberry,

I have no experience shifting to jobs outside of academia, but you could try posting your question on the forums at the Chronicle of Higher Ed (chronicle.com). They may be able to help you. Good luck!
 
#194 ·
Nic I'm following your updates on the dingo thread!


Just hogging the thread to say that my colleague and I have spent the day emailing back and forth drafts of emails to send to a pissed-off nursing faculty member who is REALLY upset that PFLAG (among numerous other organizations) will be on campus this week to do an informational session. She (and a few other faculty) are using really angry language, so we're trying to invite conversation while not backing down a dang inch on our position. I never trot my Ph.D. out like some show pony, but boy, did I remind her that I've got 10 years of education in the field. I'm so frustrated.

And my colleague sent me an email saying how glad he is we work in the same department. Which was so cool. I pointed out in my reply that he did hire me.


I'm so tired of this conflict, though.
 
#195 ·
Well the crazy thing is I have an interview at a prep school coming up, to teach AP courses.

And it pays nearly three times as much as adjunct spots do in this area. Go figure.


There is one tenure track spot in my area in my field. However it is an hour away, in the opposite direction of where my kids are in school. Since we just moved here, I have no one else to take up the slack if there is a problem, and since dh is not in a field where he can just leave work to deal with a situation (he's a surgeon) that leaves me, myself, and I. I'm going to send in a job packet for the position and see what happens, but I can't see how I'd be able to do it. Hmmm. Well I guess if it's meant to be it will happen.
 
#196 ·
Nic, I found an afterschool sitter pretty easily, who has been a godsend for times like those. I'd pursue the opportunity and then when/if you need to figure out a good backup system.

I'm so glad to see you getting yourself out there!
 
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