As for the Snowflake essays...
I hate to be rude, but to those who replied in support of the "I'm a precious little snowflake" essays, well, you just keep telling yourselves you're doing them a service, "bridging" to critical thinking, blah, blah, blah. But it's bullshit. I teach freshman composition at a major university. I know the resistance to participate in anything that looks like work. I know that their eyes tend to glaze when not discussing Facebook and how awesome it was when they threw up on themselves twice last weekend. And I know that they haven't a clue about analytical writing. Or any writing, really. But I also know I'm not going to cater to their ignorance, nor am I going to let them float through my class still thinking that life is all about them. How do I do it? I teach only analytical writing. I don't worry about personal narratives, reports, or "relating their experiences" to class material. That will all earn you a failing grade in my class. We work hard on analytical thought throughout. I make them read tough essays with big ideas that appear to have nothing to do with their lives, and I make them discuss. And you know what? They do. And when they find out I'm serious about analytical writing--usually around the time they hand in a paper that does try to focus on narrative or reporting and promptly get a "D" or worse--they step up to the plate. They work hard, and they come away with skills they didn't have. And I think that prepares them far more than any coddling, pampering, or other "flaky" tactics will.
And, adding a voice to the "just a job" debate...
- I guess you can count me among the senior faculty, and therefore someone closer to Prof. Mushy Brain's age than to, say, Hannah Montana's. I have bitten my tongue for a few days while this site and many others (BTW, academic blogs are the most painful things on the web, and I'm including Ann Coulter and Matt Drudge), and I'm sickened by academics who think of their careers as "just a job." You probably are tired of hearing thoughts on this topic, but I think this mindset is to blame for why there is a divide between junior and senior faculty. I must confess that I think of this place as MY college. I go to the games, work freshman orientation, and tell everyone I know that they should think about having their kids, nieces, nephews and neighbors check us out when it's time. I've had jobs, you know? But my teaching, my research, my mentoring, that's something bigger, better, more. The younger faculty in my department are more attached to their alma maters than they are to here. On Friday afternoons, our faculty committee sponsors a series of open get-togethers for students, faculty, and administrators. They are sometimes a little formal, with an agenda of items from the student government, but usually they're just Swedish meatballs, punch, and a lot of mixing of people. Last Friday I was talking to two freshmen who were quizzing me about two new members of our department and I sort of looked around to see if either was there. What I did see was a group of faculty members, most of them my age or older, and not a soul - save the students - south of 40. And that's how it always is here. We love the new blood when faculty come to us fresh with ideas, but I at least just wish they'd invest more of themselves with this place, this career, OUR college. It seems to me, reading the "just a job" postings I've seen this past week, that it's likely not going to happen with this generation of academics.
