Sian

Sian Norah's Universal Heirarchy of Professorial Adequacy...

Doesn't that sound impressive?

At the very pinnacle of the Heirarchy, we have the Didoskaloi.  These would be the professors who awe and inspire, while at the same time, nurturing the hope that you, yourself, may someday be numbered among their learned ranks.  They affect more than just your academic portfolio, they change the way you view the world.  They're the ones you'll remember forever--along with their quirks, their eccentricities, and large sections of their lectures verbatim.

Somewhere beneath them--and this is one of those things you know, just because you know--are the Virtuous Mortals of the academic world.  They know their subject.  Some of them may know it as well as the Didoskaloi, but for whatever reason--personality, or lack thereof, or inability to inspire--they will be forgotten...  They are the names on transcripts which are adequate, and even impressive, but eventually, their memories fade, and their legacy, such as it is, is one of originless fact.

Then, we have the Instructors.  These are professors who have fallen out of love with their subjects, who have fallen into a rut, or graduate students still working their way up the heirarchy.  There is a lack of either depth of knowledge, or enthusiasm, but you get what you pay for.  Nothing more, and nothing less.  They are adequate.  In the world of teachers, they are the people with 1.97 children and so on.  They're bored and boring, but still adequate.

 So, as we work our way down through assorted levels of insufficiency... 

And I admit that some of these areas overlap.

We have Arrogant Jerks.  Right or wrong, they're sure they're the best thing since sliced bread, and that there is no possible way that you could ever, ever, compete with them.  You'll meet a lot of these.  They are the primary cause of psychosis amongst students, and probably contribute to the development of the homicidal impulse in serial killers.  Rumour has it that BTK was a perfectly normal High School Senior, until he wound up taking Chemistry 101 from a researcher.

You have Big Ol' Hornballs... you'll know them because any time you walk into the room, their wives will quit understanding them.  Just don't leave them alone with your lab rats.  Strangely enough, this is the only batch that mixes with each and every other level in the heirarchy.  If you can come to an understanding (say, agree to sacrifice three virgins every month) you'll get along just fine.

And Proselytizing Progressivists.  A large section of anything that doesn't require actual skill or intelligence--English, art, political science, history.  They don't know what they're doing.  They want you to echo back their opinions.  This is the guy who stayed in college to avoid the draft during Vietnam.  The atheist who absolutely can't figure out why you believe in anything, or admit that you're not psychotic, if you do.  Figure out what the hell they want, and you'll be their star pupil, but be aware that it doesn't involve anything resembling fact.  These are the people who have "creative methods"  I had an English teacher who tried to teach an entire semester entirely based on Frida Kahlo paintings.  No, not with captions.  Just the paintings.  An excellent example.

posted by: SianNorah at 19:13 | link | comments (3)
quest for graduate school

Comments:

#1  10 September 2005 - 04:09

 

I have to run to a birthday party then to work...I want to come back and read this attentively and comment on it. Good topic! *hugs*
A.

alohalani

#2  10 September 2005 - 07:17

 

Actually, my parents are pepsi people. Instead, my screaming is a product of an overlarge ego and probably too much idealistic, ignorant youth. I suffer fewer illusions as to this over time.

I had more in mind of Bush's atrocious timing, when I was screaming. The military aid itself is unfortunately unavoidable, a product of the natural disaster itself. That's the way it is, lamentably.

Crap on tourism, I wanted to live there.

Randis

#3  12 September 2005 - 04:19

 

Hnn. Maybe. Because, yes, I'm sure it would have pissed off the populace to wake up the next day to several Army battalions down the block. Then the Lousiana powermongers(like Nagin) cry out because they made and continue to make requests for things they were promised were there but aren't. Of the two, which are more important?

It's all relative, isn't it? Like you can blame the people who refused to leave their homes and everything they loved and owned (like, for instance, NEW ORLEANS. I'm not sure I would have left, and I have nothing there).

This seems silly to ask, but who's side are you taking? Trying to blame the hurricane is like blaming your imaginary friend, and I feel you've implied you have a position, therefore, on which person is most to blame. I'm just not sure what it is.

Actually, St. Louis was next on the list. Coincidentally, fewer natural disasters.

Randis

Comments:

Archives

today
October 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005