[lbo-talk] A Glimpse into the Fate of Ph.D's currently

shag carpet bomb shag at cleandraws.com
Mon Jun 11 19:44:45 PDT 2012


there are a shitload of books documenting how your experience, once common, disappeared and no longer the story for grad students. my mentor/diss advisor came on board ABD, tenure track, finished his diss while teaching. i was taught, from the get go, that this would never be the fate of anyone in my cohort or after.

I've forgotten his name, but someone wrote up this stuff back in early or mid 90s, someone at University of Ill, Urbana-Champagne maybe?

the worst part is that, for a lot of profs I knew, they'd take positions like that and do it for five years. by the time tenure track opened up somewhere, they'd been on the market for five years. As a consequence, a lot of places wouldn't even look at their application on accounta the belief that, if no one wanted them in that five years, then they must suck so why bother. (same thing happens in regular job market, even when the lack of job is due to structural changes in the economy/recession. employers thinK: what's wrong with this guy he couldn't get a job in the last 5 years.

At 09:55 PM 6/11/2012, Carrol Cox wrote:
>Michael Yates writes: ". . . what a ruse, calling it a visiting assistant
>professor."
>
>That was what caught my attention. These job opening posts come regularly on
>the departmental e-list, but I hadn't seen this particular way to say
>"adjunct" or (actually) "Temp" before. In '61 when I came to ISU I was
>merely an ABD, but I came as an assistant professor on tenure track. The
>person who takes this job will only get year by year contracts, no benefits,
>and so on. Though my load for several years was mostly comp, that was before
>composition got "professionalized" -- in practice that means that comp
>teachers have close supervision, with all that implies.
>
>I paste in below an announcement of a national steering committee to support
>the Chicago teachers.
>
>Carrol
>
> *********
>________________________________________
>From: David Boehnke [mailto:dboehnke at gmail.com]
>Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 11:03 AM
>To: cbcox at ilstu.edu; jkcox30 at yahoo.com
>Subject: Help Organize a Day Without a Teacher in Solidarity with Chicago?
>
>Dear Jan and Carol,
>
>I am contacting you to ask if you or educational organizations you're a part
>of would be willing to join a National Steering Committee or express
>organizational interest in a public educational struggle of terrific
>importance.
>
>During the teachers' caucus at the most recent Labor Notes Conference it
>became clear that the upcoming teachers strike in Chicago this fall is
>likely to be a signal battle on the fate of public education. As such, there
>is an incredible need for national and international solidarity and we began
>organizing to make it happen.
>
>Our idea is to have "A Day Without a Teacher" a (inter)national show of
>solidarity where teachers around the country can stand together, realize
>their power, highlight crucial local issues for students, teachers, and
>communities, and stand with Chicago for "Quality Education For All!".
>
>We also see this drawing directly on the courage of the Madison Teachers in
>the Wisconsin Uprising and the heroic Day Without An Immigrant on May 1st,
>2006.
>
>We are now working to create a National Steering Committee of teachers and
>educational activists from all parts of the industry. We are contacting you
>to see if you or your organization could to commit to participate in such a
>Steering Committee or if they'd be willing to ask others to join or express
>organizational interest in such an approach.
>
>See a draft call out below.
>
>Look forward to hearing from you!
>
>David Boehnke Day Without a Teacher Steering Committee Member, IWW Education
>Workers Organizing Committee
>
>Call for "A Day Without A Teacher": Solidarity With Chicago and for Quality
>Education For All
>
>The situation in public education as it stands is intolerable and is only
>getting worse.
>
>The carefully planned attacks by the ruling class to defund, deskill, and
>privatize our education system have resulted in the avalanche of attacks we
>face on a daily basis. Massive budget cutbacks, exploding class sizes, media
>vilification, testing mania, school shut downs and charter school expansion,
>destruction of tenure and seniority, packaged curriculum, and on and on.
>
>Both Republicans and Democrats serve this agenda and while so called
>"education reformers" use racial justice for their public relations, in
>truth their policies only increase the oppressive inequities facing our
>children, parents, and communities.
>
>Make no mistake. We must choose between watching the promise of our children
>silenced or joining a massive resurgence to fight against these attacks and
>for a transformed educational system worth fighting for. One that delivers
>quality education for all. And that choice is upon us.
>
>This fall, teachers in Chicago are being pushed into a corner they can't
>survive without fighting-a 29% increase in their work day and the
>replacement of standard raises by financial favoritism, essentially ending
>the union itself.
>
>This struggle is of crucial importance, signaling the fate of teachers for
>the country as a whole. Chicago is home to the third largest teacher's union
>in the country and a President of the United States seeking reelection this
>fall. Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's ruthless Mayor who is out to destroy the
>union, is Obama's former Chief of Staff.
>
>If Chicago loses this struggle, so do we. The Chicago Teacher's Union is
>preparing to strike. But to win they need the world behind them. If we want
>quality education for all, we need the Chicago Teachers to win this
>showdown.
>
>That is what "A Day Without A Teacher" is all about. Like the millions of
>immigrants who refused to work on May 1st, 2006. Like the thousands of
>Madison teachers whose courage showed people across this rich nation what is
>possible if teachers take collective action for the well being of all.
>
>We all face struggles like what is happening in Chicago. Only by acting
>together can we reverse the tide. Another education system is possible. A
>Day Without A Teacher is the first step in making it so.
>
>Stand with Chicago when they need it!
>Quality Education for All!
>
>
>___________________________________
>http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk

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