Thanks for this totally honest post. A lot of what you are saying is stuff I think about ALL the time. I often think that high school and below should be for “general knowledge” and college/grad school should be more focused on your specific discipline. And I can say for a fact that I learned a lot more in my internships than in most of my classes (even though ironically, I am no longer in the field where I interned).

I suppose having general courses, such as Medieval Lit, helps with those students who are still trying to figure out where they want to end up (which is a lot of the student population).

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I agree that there needs to be a better focus on ethics. I also think ethics need to be reiterated over and over again. I have taken classes that reference ethics and taken workshops specifically about ethics. I still only remember a minuscule amount of the information taught to me. Even if we don’t have a whole class devoted to ethics, I think it needs to be integrated into almost all classes to help people retain the information.

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While I agree with you, I think it is necessary to think about what actually is doable in our classrooms in the school culture we have now. It is great to have an ideal teacher and teaching context, but we must realize what is reachable and take things step by step.

I also want to reiterate that sometimes being a “New Professional” might not fit in certain contexts, classes, or with certain students. There is always exceptions to any rule or concepts, and it is up to us to critically think about what our students need and what the context calls for.

I almost clicked out of the video when he said people never have to memorize anything again because of the Internet. Not only does it strengthen your mind to memorize information but it also helps you think faster and more critically.

could you tell me where you got the facts/figures from for the disciplines please? for an assignment I am working on o the adoption of social media by academics?
Many Thanks

You can follow the link in the post to see the complete video of the 14-minute speech. I have watched it several times, and I’m still in awe.

“Dr. Edward described his experience as the object of derision by colleagues when he stood up for public welfare, exposing environmental crimes by government engineers, placing himself at great personal, professional, and financial risk by doing so.”

I didn’t get to see this speech, but I wish I had. How awful it must be to experience shame for simply doing what he believed to be right. It takes courage, man. I’m glad to see that he was able to see it for what it was and persevere.

I like your comparison to a tool belt. I, too, am not sure of the exact mechanisms for using what I’ve learned this semester (also a novice teacher), but I’ve got more tools in my tool belt than when we started. That’s good enough for me!

“Well, probably the folks who historically have had robust reasons to be irritated with the current state of affairs and higher education.”

yes yes yes yes!