I don't think I'm cut out to teach. I don't want to grade papers next quarter. On one hand, it's nice to flex my editing muscles, but on the other hand.... oh I don't care. I hate reading the bad writing
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I do not envy you. I have a hard time finding things to say about good writing, let alone bad writing. And on top of all the personal stuff that's been heaped on you lately... Yeah. No thanks.
I think so. It's 'easy' money. I think next quarter it's only one online class and one or two classes with actual physical papers. So that saves the hour of downloading and uploading papers.
I like being able to bring in some money to pad the (until recently) depleted savings account.
How I keep my sanitymsmidgeNovember 4 2012, 21:07:15 UTC
Editing is different than teaching writing. You edit to produce a polished final document. Marking up papers is to help the student improve for next time. It helps to narrow your focus, both for your own sanity and the student's learning. I focus on the things that make the student look most like a dumbass--essay structure, citing sources, capitalization errors, run-on sentences, and sentence fragments, at the moment. These are the things that, when they get a job and have to communicate with others, will help them be taken more seriously. Once they get that down, I will help them improve further. And if you can tie serious grade consequences to those specific errors you want to train them out of, only then will they pay attention and start fixing them (if they are the ones who care about their grades. Some of them don't give a shit, and for them, there is no help.).
Re: How I keep my sanityewigweiblicheNovember 4 2012, 21:28:39 UTC
I'm glad I'm on the same page as the professionals! The ones you list are the ones I push on the most. Phew. But damn, you can't help people not be jackasses, though I try. I was told NOT to comment on content, just on reasoning. Oy.
There are some people who are already decent writers, in fact one who may do local journalism. And there are a few who aren't really great writers but have a strong voice and that's fun to work with too. But so many are so boring and so mediocre that finding good and bad points is haaaaaard.
Re: How I keep my sanitymsmidgeNovember 4 2012, 21:41:43 UTC
I think whining is part of keeping your sanity too. It really is astounding, the gap between how most people write and how the people we surround ourselves with write.
Busting out my long dormant lj acct (which I do still occasionally poke into, though I'll likely never actually post here again. anyhow...) just to say that I completely grok this. And it's a big factor in my deciding to walk away from academia as my primary source of employment. It's horrible work, and it seems like it's just gotten worse in the 10 years I've being doing it.
As far as how I've dealt with it all these years, I will say that it is somewhat offset by the joy of other elements of teaching. Leading classroom discussions & interacting more closely with the few stronger students can be pretty rewarding. But, at this point, it's just not enough, especially given the lack of remuneration & stability I seem trapped in.
Anyhow, waving hi! Maybe I'll see more of you when we get to the PNW.
Oh you missed that part on FB? We're moving to Eugene in mid-Dec.
Long story, but basically, lower cost of living, higher quality of life. Ron's contract that brought us back to the Bay Area has been up since late June, he's running into silicon valley's ageism, and I'm sick of all the problems & limitations of the adjuncting life (the rewarding bits of teaching making up less & less for the grading grind, which is what inspired me to pipe up here). Mostly, it's that I can't earn a living that supports the family here in the lean times when Ron is out of work. But our cost of living will go do significantly in Eugene, such that I can get any old jobby job & it'll go a lot further. So, we're going for it.
Google tells me that Eugene is just 4 hours from Olympia. And we'll have a guest room :)
Right! Now I remember there being talk of Oregon. But FB doesn't always show posts from my friends. Very annoying. Will you teach at U of O?
Yeah, costs of living outside of the Bay Area are so much less. And the peace and fresh air -especially with kids- make the losses of the Bay worth it.
Evn when I evaluate fiction manuscripts or acquisition, I know if the story is good, the writing is compelling etc....but when something is wrong, I don't know how to articulate how to fix it. Which is why I'll never be an editor!
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Because GAH.
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Are you going to do it next quarter?
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I like being able to bring in some money to pad the (until recently) depleted savings account.
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There are some people who are already decent writers, in fact one who may do local journalism. And there are a few who aren't really great writers but have a strong voice and that's fun to work with too. But so many are so boring and so mediocre that finding good and bad points is haaaaaard.
Man, I just need to whine today!
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As far as how I've dealt with it all these years, I will say that it is somewhat offset by the joy of other elements of teaching. Leading classroom discussions & interacting more closely with the few stronger students can be pretty rewarding. But, at this point, it's just not enough, especially given the lack of remuneration & stability I seem trapped in.
Anyhow, waving hi! Maybe I'll see more of you when we get to the PNW.
Reply
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Long story, but basically, lower cost of living, higher quality of life. Ron's contract that brought us back to the Bay Area has been up since late June, he's running into silicon valley's ageism, and I'm sick of all the problems & limitations of the adjuncting life (the rewarding bits of teaching making up less & less for the grading grind, which is what inspired me to pipe up here). Mostly, it's that I can't earn a living that supports the family here in the lean times when Ron is out of work. But our cost of living will go do significantly in Eugene, such that I can get any old jobby job & it'll go a lot further. So, we're going for it.
Google tells me that Eugene is just 4 hours from Olympia. And we'll have a guest room :)
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Yeah, costs of living outside of the Bay Area are so much less. And the peace and fresh air -especially with kids- make the losses of the Bay worth it.
Reply
Evn when I evaluate fiction manuscripts or acquisition, I know if the story is good, the writing is compelling etc....but when something is wrong, I don't know how to articulate how to fix it. Which is why I'll never be an editor!
Reply
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