Mott Haven Diary
Dec. 21st, 2004 02:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arisbeLast grades bubbled in. Waiting to hear from my other department about the timesheet issue which has led to my paycheck being held since last week.
Got myself dressed to the nines yesterday, well, eight and a half maybe, my kind of movie anyway, for an interview which lasted about fifteen minutes, but ended with the President's Chief of Staff promising to take my resume to the Provost that afternoon. I am already one of about thirty candidates for the IT position in the Student Development office. I suppose they will start weeding people out early in January.
Meanwhile, I may have a decent chance to be invited back for ESL but not English. The English chair gave me a zinger of an observation without mentioning what really pissed her off, my generally non PC attitude. That and the fact that I was hired over the objections of her deputy, the real power here, who has her own patronage network, all of African descent. They also have an adjunct pool with degrees in English rather than philosophy and higher education. If I had a real chance of a full time position I might have been more cautious about replacing the first reading, on bilingual education, with Robert Hutchins on education and the virtues. And having freshmen in the South Bronx write research papers about Mortimer Adler, Jacques Barzun, Elias Chacour, yes, even Bertie Russell. I'm not sorry in the least. Indeed, I was moved to the point of tears by my student's openness in examining their lives and hopes in the light of wider issues. That beats accurate spelling and Chicago Manual citation style by a country mile.
Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer on the CD drive.
The shortest day halfway over.
Got myself dressed to the nines yesterday, well, eight and a half maybe, my kind of movie anyway, for an interview which lasted about fifteen minutes, but ended with the President's Chief of Staff promising to take my resume to the Provost that afternoon. I am already one of about thirty candidates for the IT position in the Student Development office. I suppose they will start weeding people out early in January.
Meanwhile, I may have a decent chance to be invited back for ESL but not English. The English chair gave me a zinger of an observation without mentioning what really pissed her off, my generally non PC attitude. That and the fact that I was hired over the objections of her deputy, the real power here, who has her own patronage network, all of African descent. They also have an adjunct pool with degrees in English rather than philosophy and higher education. If I had a real chance of a full time position I might have been more cautious about replacing the first reading, on bilingual education, with Robert Hutchins on education and the virtues. And having freshmen in the South Bronx write research papers about Mortimer Adler, Jacques Barzun, Elias Chacour, yes, even Bertie Russell. I'm not sorry in the least. Indeed, I was moved to the point of tears by my student's openness in examining their lives and hopes in the light of wider issues. That beats accurate spelling and Chicago Manual citation style by a country mile.
Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer on the CD drive.
The shortest day halfway over.
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And PC Is the Bane of All of Our Existences, At This Point!
Date: 2004-12-21 08:26 pm (UTC)Re: And PC Is the Bane of All of Our Existences, At This Point!
Date: 2004-12-27 04:41 pm (UTC)Oooh
Date: 2004-12-21 08:58 pm (UTC)I had the pleaure of seeing him live at the Sewanne Summer music camp in 93 or 94, I can't remember which year it was. My favorite was a piece entitled "How does he do that with out hurting himself?"
And BTW, I would love to sit in on a class of yours!
Re: Oooh
Date: 2004-12-27 04:38 pm (UTC)A young composer friend, a 'cellist, says he must be some kind of mutant.
Thanks for the good words.
Frank.
Rock on!
Date: 2004-12-22 12:48 am (UTC)Re: Rock on!
Date: 2004-12-27 04:40 pm (UTC)Some time before noon on 9/11/01, starting my long walk home, I figured that it would be a very very bad idea to waste the rest of my life, however long I might have left.
no subject
Date: 2004-12-22 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-22 06:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-12-26 06:37 am (UTC)Ed
no subject
Date: 2004-12-27 04:35 pm (UTC)I made it to church twice and the rest of the family once. This year, coming back alone in the subway Friday night, I realized that I was the one smelling like a cheap floozy, my head anointed with scented oil in the Orthodox/Eastern Catholic custom.
The good thing about the religious aspect is that you realize that economic, ah, challenge, is nothing at all to be upset about. What's good enough for God is good enough for me!
And our Christmas lunch at a Burmese restaurant downtown had us all laughing over the Jean Shepherd Christmas Story movie, which we were reminded of.
Your pictures, by the way, are a great present to all of us on LJ.
All the best of the season and for the year to come.
Frank