The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Amanda:

Show all comments by Amanda.

Posted on entry Open thread 26 ::: August 06, 2004, 03:51 PM:
Tiger Spot,

I second the motion on the Vorkosigan series. I also like Bujold's new work, beginning with The Curse of Chalion.
Posted on entry Taking your own bad advice ::: May 20, 2004, 03:49 PM:
John,
Apparently, a degree in Latin American Studies qualifies as credentials for teaching Latin. They must have taken courses from GWB.
Posted on entry Taking your own bad advice ::: May 20, 2004, 01:32 PM:
I worked in a museum devoted to archaeology on campus for three years, volunteering as an assistant to the registrar--yay for filing techniques! I did get to inventory the whole collection, though, which was awesome. And most of my overseas excursions were paid for.
Posted on entry Taking your own bad advice ::: May 20, 2004, 06:31 AM:
Mark,
Anthropology happens to be one half of a year-long course for 9th graders. The goal is to teach them how to approach the study of history. For the Anthro side, we study evolution and culture, and for the history side of things, we spend 8 days on different units, using no textbook, just primary source documents.

I did, literally, fall into this position out of over 60 applicants, but the position I was applying for was teaching Latin. It just so happened that the school needed an additional teacher for the history course, and with my background I could fill the slots in both departments. I use my training in archaeology mostly in my Latin and history courses.

I found my job by chance using the American Classical League website that posts positions for Latin and Greek teachers throughout the U.S., and am now teaching at an independent school near NYC. You might want to consider contacting a professional service who will schlep your resume or CV to different independent schools, if you really want to use your Anthro background. It may not be free, but the cost isn't very high for you; the school pays a finder's fee once they hire someone. Hope this helps!
Posted on entry Taking your own bad advice ::: May 19, 2004, 11:46 AM:
BA: Classical Archaeology (minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UM, Ann Arbor, wrote thesis on Islamic glass)
MA: Classical Literature (wrote on the Odyssey)
PhD Coursework completed: Classical Archaeology
Other stuff: 6 yrs. excavation/research experience

I teach middle/highschool Latin, world history, and anthropology, so I would say I am doing something somewhat related to my field. And, I am just starting an online reading group about the Iliad, which I should hope I am able to do somewhat decently, after 10 years of a Classical education. I don't know... the jury is still out.
Posted on entry Taking your own bad advice ::: May 19, 2004, 09:28 AM:
Many a university will see these assistant positions as awards, considering they really *don't* have to give tuition waivers or stipends, however small those actually end up being. I haven't looked into his publication claims, but in all fairness, if he had an assistantship, there probably was at least somewhat of a valid reason that he received one (of course, the department may have had a slot that they needed to fill so that they could continue to have it). There is stiff competition for these awards, weird as it may seem after reading this man's CL, and the choice for who receives one usually does rest on proven academic ability, tests scores, valid publications, etc.; once one has a teaching assistantship,though, it doesn't mean that one can continue to have one in the future if the duties are not performed adequately. I know in my department, as well as a number of others in the humanities such as Comp Lit, the languages, and history to name a few, there were always too many grad students for the TA positions that were available. I do wonder what the state if his department is/was when he wrote this.
Any assistantship very rarely allows a grad student to have their own class. Rather, grad students run discussion groups for large lectures given by a professor. He could be a brilliant TA with choice classes to teach, but if that's the case, wouldnt he want to say so? What he actually taught might not have looked so good if he 'fessed up: "I taught remedial English" or "I photocopied books out of the library for my professor so he wouldnt' have to buy them".
And these issues are just as real for the sciences, if not as obvious.
Posted on entry Taking your own bad advice ::: May 19, 2004, 07:43 AM:
I find it interesting that he lists his Humanities grant (but which Humanities grant?) immediately following the mysterious IAP Award. I suspect that "IAP" has something to do with the money he has received from the university as a grad student. From my own recent experiences in a PhD program, I was instructed to list my teaching positions as "awards" on my CV. Could IAP stand for "Instructor's Assistant Position"? It's not a lie because it is an award from the university for his work and his efforts, and there probably is stiff competition for those teaching assistantships. It would be very interesting, however, to see what slut work he did as a grad student.

Comment statistics for Amanda on the Making Light blog

YearNumber of comments posted
20047

Total: 7 comments. View all these comments on a single page.