The process is unwieldy and doesn't yield good colleagues: I'm talking about the hiring process for faculty members. We must ask exactly the same questions, in exactly the same order, by exactly the same questioners (members of the interview committee). Supposedly, the "union requires" this process, but I have my doubts: just who's interpreting the contract?
What's good is listening to colleagues talk about their teaching practices, innovative assignments, pedagogical commitments. Today I heard at least three ideas I'll steal (okay, borrow with attribution) for my own courses. And I also heard, twice, a name that I thought I knew and found out I didn't: David Bartholomae is not the same person as Donald Bartholomae, who's the guy I'd read and been familiar with. Harriet Malinowicz also talks about the confusion she had with them, too, in her JAC (formerly the Journal of Advance Composition) article here.
It's always good to find out you're wrong is you can find out how to correct it. Thanks, folks.
Evacuation roots
5 hours ago
2 comments:
I've never been fond of the hiring questionaire either... especially the reading it to them part.
I'm not at all sure how we do it leads to the best teachers, although I'm quite happy with the people we've ended up hiring in my department.
Yes, you do have good folks. And I'm sure we end up with good folks, too, *despite* the weird process.
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