Category: silly

balance · best laid plans · silly

How to Avoid Post-Semester Illness (in 82 easy steps)

janasmithelford

1. Before your semester starts, get lots of rest.
2. Spend a relaxing Christmas break away from drama of any kind.
3. Attend a maximum of one Christmas/pre-semester Party.
4. Gear up for beginning of semester by taking a day or two to wrap up any unfinished business from last semester before the semester begins.
5. Take time to plan out your semester.
6. Divide your time into segments.
7. Under no circumstances should you undertake work outside of the hours of 8-5, Monday to Friday.
8. Allot no more than 10% of your time to administrative duties.
9. Allot no more than 10% of your time to answering emails.
10. Allot no more than 15% of your time to teaching prep.
11. Allot no more than 5% of your time to grading.
12. Allot no more than 2% of your time to office hours.
13. Allot no more than 5% of your time to attending workshops.
14. Allot no more than 5% of your time to attending conferences.
15. Allot no more than 5% of your time to exploring new digital tools.
16. Allot no more than 5% of your time to reading in your field(s) to keep up with current research.
17. Allot no more than 2% of your time to other research projects after current project concludes.
18. Allot no more than 5% of your time to writing blog posts.
19. Allot no more than 5% of your time to networking with other academics.
20. Allot no more than 5% of your time to applying for awards, fellowships, and grants.
21. Allot no more than 5% of your time to maintaining personal or professional websites.
22. Allot no more than 10% of your time to committee meetings.
23. Allot no more than 10% of your time to applying for jobs.
24. Allot no more than 5% of your time to preparing your cv.
25. Allot no more than 5% of your time to preparing a shadow cv.
26. Allot no more than 5% of your time gaining work experience for a possible career in alt-ac.
27. Allot no more than 5% of your time to mentoring.
28. Allot no more than 5% of your time to writing letters of recommendation.
29. Allot no more than 5% of your time to advising.
30. Allot no more than 5% of your time to additional, unforseen duties.
31. Allot no more than 2% of your time to planning research trips.
32.  Leave 30% of your time to primary research.
33. Leave 40% of your time to manuscript/dissertation writing.
34. Avoid unnecessary and time consuming academic service.
35. Do not plan a symposium.*
36. Do not plan a conference.*
37. Do not plan a roundtable.*
38. Do not plan a colloquium.*
39. Do not plan a public lecture.*
40. Maintain a healthy work-life balance.
41. Run at least 3 times a week.
42. Attend regular yoga classes.
43. Swim.
44. Cycle.
45. Eat food rich in Vitamin C (or supplement).
46. Eat food rich in Vitamin D (or supplement).
47. Eat food rich in Vitamin A (or supplement).
48. Eat food rich in Vitamin E (or supplement).
49. Eat food rich in B16 (or supplement).
50. Eat food rich in B12 (or supplement).
51. Eat food rich in B (or supplement).
52. Eat food rich in protein (or supplement).
53. Eat food rich in calcium (or supplement).
54. Eat food rich in potassium (or supplement).
55. Avoid caffeine.
56. Avoid alcohol. 
57. For richness, enjoyment, and balance in life, participate in religious organization.
58. For richness, enjoyment, and balance in life, participate in community-based organization.
59. For richness, enjoyment and balance in life, participate in political organizations.
60. Volunteer for community-based organization.
61. Volunteer for religious-based organization.
62. Volunteer for political organizations.
63. Maintain friendships.
64. Maintain professional relationships.
65. Spend time with parents.
66. Spend time with extended family.
67. Spend time with partner.
68. Spend time with children.
69. Spend ample time on vacation.
70. Stay away from ill friends.
71. Stay away from ill students.
72. Stay away from ill colleagues.
73. Stay away from ill parents.
74. Stay away from ill extended family.
75. Stay away from ill partner.
76. If possible, do not allow your toddler to go to daycare (they are petrie dishes for illness of all kinds).
77. Seclude toddler from all other ill children.
78. Seclude toddler from all ill adults.
79. DO NOT allow ill toddler to hold your hands.
80. DO NOT allow ill toddler to place dirty hands on your person.
81. DO NOT allow ill toddler to cough in your mouth.
82. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU BEGIN YOUR NEXT SEMESTER WHILE ILL.

*do, however, ensure you attend these important events.

academic work · empowerment · serious · silly

Notes from the conference circuit

erinewunker1 Comment

‘Tis the season…for conferences. This week it’s the 2013 John Douglas Taylor Conference at McMaster University – “You Can’t be Serious.”

This afternoon, I attended a Round Table Discussion on “The Engaged University” where the panelists considered the “possibilities for ethical encounters through university practices of community engagement.” Edward Bartlett and Katia Hildebrandt, both of University of Regina offered an intriguing discussion of our serious and silly sides in the academy. Drawing upon Erving Goffman, they argue that, as participants in the university, we all select masks related to our serious and silly selves. Whether or not we select a serious mask depends upon the situation and our role within it. They note that professors are accorded serious masks in their roles as respected authorities, but may of course also choose a silly mask when appropriate. In contrast, undergraduate students have more freedom to wear their silly masks. Ever sit at the back of a lecture hall? See all of those laptops open to facebook – that’s the silly mask.

The crucial point that Bartlett and Hildebrant make is that graduate students experience a more challenging hybrid identity. A graduate student might where their “silly” student mask in the classroom in the morning, and then re-enter that space in the afternoon wearing their “serious” mask as a university instructor.

When I think about many of the professional development challenges that I experienced throughout my PhD, I think this articulation of the dual-identity really captures well the confusions, frustrations, and marginalities of the graduate student position. Being at times a student and at others a member of staff renders interactions with other students and staff complicated.

My personal inclination is that, as apprenticing academics, graduate students should be accorded more seriousness. If graduate students are expected to mentor undergraduates through running tutorials and working as sessional instructors, then they should be treated as serious contributors to the education process.

When I look back on my experiences as a teaching assistant and sessional instructor, the negative moments that stand out for me are all of the instances where I felt vulnerable or marginalized in relation to my undergraduate students and the department, and consequently over-reacted (defensively) in order to reinforce my serious mask. I was seeking power, not because I derived pleasure from power, but because I felt utterly powerless in my role as an instructor.

How do you balance your serious and silly identities in the classroom?