Much has been made of the gulf between academe and the public, whether real or perceived. So when a designer named Louie Mantia posed the question “What’s something that seems obvious within your profession, but the general public seems to misunderstand?” on Twitter over the weekend, academics were only too happy to chime in.
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Much has been made of the gulf between academe and the public, whether real or perceived. So when a designer named Louie Mantia posed the question “What’s something that seems obvious within your profession, but the general public seems to misunderstand?” on Twitter over the weekend, academics were only too happy to chime in.
Here’s a selection of responses:
I’m a professor and a writer. Part 1: A teacher’s job doesn’t end with class time and involves way more than just teaching.
Teaching is an incredibly hard skill to learn and requires way more ongoing training than non-teachers (including many college profs, alas) think it does.
You secure a faculty position largely due to your abilities as an experimentalist. Everything about that position conspires to ensure that you never do a successful experiment again.
— Benjamin Waterhouse (@bcwaterhouse) July 2, 2018
1) You basically needs Newtonian physics to explain what’s happening in 99% of the Universe 99% of the time. 2) black holes are not going to swallow us all. 3) astrophysics produced (albeit as a byproduct) some of the most useful things in human history.
Scholarship is work. Research is work. Whether something is work doesn’t change based on who is completing it. Grad students conduct research, write book chapters, & publish papers just like faculty. Needs be recognized by University administrations. #1u@ruaauphttps://t.co/MMcDXbGU2Y
— Kathleen Farley, Msc. (@katitarian) July 3, 2018
When I publish an academic paper - I pay the journal. When I read an academic paper - I pay the journal. When I review an academic paper for a journal - I don’t get paid by the journal. https://t.co/NnI9lyD8TL
If a scientist has an idea or thinks something needs testing, they usually can’t. They have to write a long grant, get permission to submit it, hope it fits a small set of interest areas, send it to their strongest competitors to read, wait up to a year. 90% are rejected. https://t.co/M9RVGgvO4q
Most professors don’t try to influence students’ political opinions, and those who do rarely succeed But we do teach students the importance of logic, evidence, and considering a variety of perspectives before reaching a conclusion. Unsurprisingly, some ideologues don’t like that https://t.co/fetAmhneRT
Half your college teachers are adjuncts with no job security & will be gone by the time you need a recommendation. 1/4 are on the tenure track & bleeding out their eyeballs with overwork. The other 1/4 have normal jobs but they all have PTSD https://t.co/jAsK8oJbAO
That you can’t teach students how to write for multiple contexts & audiences in just one or two courses. It’s a lifelong process that takes many, many years & the mentoring & influence of experts. https://t.co/7cfVkjs6qu
Ted Underwood, a professor of information sciences and English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, flipped Mantia’s tweet on its head. He asked: “What’s something that seems obvious to the general public, but your profession seems to misunderstand?” There, too, the academic world had plenty to say:
That many 1st gen and low income college students are one family emergency away from having to leave school. https://t.co/euzo6dFVpE
Megan Zahneis, a senior reporter for The Chronicle, writes about faculty and the academic workplace. Follow her on Twitter @meganzahneis, or email her at megan.zahneis@chronicle.com.
