Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Leave 

Day 2 of the infamous paternity leave, wherein I will be spending four hours a day sitting impotently in the library while my skills as a teacher and a mentor gradually fade. So far, I've held court with a few of the more iconoclastic students on a wide range of topics ordinarily considered taboo by even the least conservative faculty here, fiddled around with jobsearch and advising email, had my picture taken for the blog, and helped a student figure out why her mailbox suddenly decided to show only outgoing messages.

If it were up to me, I'd have chosen morning hours, which would have allowed me to continue my partnerships with teachers integrating new ideas and technologies into their curricula. Unfortunately, I am left with clear evidence for how the heck I ended up being cut.

Clearly, someone "up there" (institutionally speaking) thinks my time is better spend waiting for Godot. Heck, if this sort of useless "coverage" is the best they could defend, the most valuable service they think I am most suited and best expended on, I would have cut my position, too.

I used to think I'd be able to stand anything for 45 days.

Now I am sure: I'd rather be making sandwiches. At least that way, I'd not have to be confronted, minute by minute, with the high tension between what I could do here, and what -- by fiat and finagle, schedule and set-up -- I cannot.

posted by boyhowdy | 2:59 PM |

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