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EndlessAshley

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  1. Like
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from Adelaide9216 in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  2. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from limonchello in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  3. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from clinpsy in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  4. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to fuzzylogician in Gender trouble as a TA   
    Yeah, it sucks, and this happens far more often than it should. I know it's hard not to get jaded and think of everyone as jerks, but the jerks are really the minority. They are loud and take up more than their fair share of your time, but they are still the minority. Most students are decent and are there to learn, and it helps to remember that. If it's any consolation, with time you won't look as young and you will learn to sound more authoritative. You'll also stop being the TA and start being the instructor of record, and eventually the jerks will back off because the power differential will be large enough that even they can see it. 
    Will the lead instructor back you up? When I am lead instructor I make it clear to my TAs that they do not have to deal with any crap. If someone is giving them trouble, they should immediately direct them to me and I will take care of it. Will your professor do the same for you? If so, your best policy is to send complainers to the professor. Since you're doing a good job grading and you know you're not wrong, if he constantly gets unsubstantiated reports about you, at least someone will know about it, and hopefully he will protect you from the guys who are stirring up the shit. I don't even think you need to "warn" him ahead of time except perhaps before the first time you do it. I would bet that will take care of at least some of the complaints right there, because they might feel like they can bully you, but they won't want to take it any further than that. And those who think they can get you in trouble will hopefully be very wrong about that and will be put in their place. If you don't have your professor's support then it's much harder to deal with, and my own (unfortunate) experience is that it's then not worth the fight. Give them what they want and minimize the damage, and hope that you never have to work with that professor again. (And I say this as someone who didn't follow this advice (well, wasn't given this advice and didn't know any better) and did fight, and lost in a way that still upsets me now, nearly a decade later.)
  5. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to TakeruK in Gender trouble as a TA   
    I'm sorry you have to deal with this. I have heard similar stories from other women TAs too so you are not alone. I don't have direct experience in the same way so I can't give personalized advice, but we do cover this a little bit in our TA training. There are some strategies that we have discussed for students challenging us on grades:
    1. Don't be defensive. That is, you don't need to feel that you need to justify yourself to the student. In fact, the student has to justify to you why they deserved more credit. If you don't think their argument is valid, I think it's fine for you to just say, "No, I disagree." You don't have to explain why they are wrong. The process should be that the student makes the appeal and then you determine whether the appeal is worthy.
    2. Transparent grading methods work well, but it sounds like you have already done this and it sounds like it doesn't help the gendered reaction you get. I like using a rubric and then just marking off which criteria scored at which level. I make sure that the rubric is worded in a way that clearly demonstrates expectations but also leaves room for subjectivity for me.
    For example, one criteria could be for "showing work" and the levels could be
    full points: "Each step follows clearly and logically from the previous.";
    half points: "Some steps require the reader to do some extra math to go to the next step.";
    no points: "Most steps are not related to each other."

    With a rubric like that, the student know that they must explain each of their steps to get full points, but you are still the final arbiter on what counts as "clearly and logically". They can disagree with you on what it means, but it doesn't matter for their grade, because you are the grader, not them.
    3. Find allies and help in your other TAs and the professor. Sometimes, especially those who have never experienced this before, are oblivious to the fact that this even happens. But if you let the others know what's happening, they can make sure to not do things that will undermine your authority, and they can also back you up when necessary. One potential path is to let the professor know about this beforehand, and if students still disagree with you after #1 and #2 then tell them they can take it to the professor. You'll let the professor know they are coming and since the professor knows about this problem, the professor can just back you up and support your decision. 
  6. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from fencergirl in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  7. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from VulpesZerda in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  8. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from Ritwik in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  9. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from dstock in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  10. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from St Andrews Lynx in What piece(s) of advice would you give to new TAs?   
    My little piece of advice, silly as it may seem, is to use a binder and carry it with you to every class. Preferably a binder with tabs. 
     
    During my first semester as a TA, I made PowerPoints and uploaded them to the course website after each class, I always handed back graded assignments by the next class meeting, I developed lesson plans, and I brought print-outs with all answers to the preassigned study questions. Basically, I did my job. Nevertheless, some of my student evaluations were "neutral" about whether I was prepared and organized, and some even disagreed. I couldn't help but wonder (a smidge bitterly) what more they could ask of me. 
     
    This time around, all of my students gave me highest marks for preparedness and organization, even though I didn't alter my preparation time or methods at all. The only thing that changed was that I began to carry around a binder with all course materials separated by week, rather than bringing only that week's materials. It's such a simple little thing to do to reinforce the impression that you're organized, which I'm beginning to discover carries almost as much weight as actually being organized. (But of course, do be prepared and organized! Off weeks really don't go unnoticed!)
     
    So there's one quick trick that can elevate at least that part of the students' perceptions of you, and I also found that it made me feel more put together as well - and so more confident. 
  11. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to marXian in so, which are the "most competitive" programs?   
    Don't get me wrong--it is incredibly hard work! I'm only in the second year of my program, but my seventh of grad school over all. I'm completely burnt out on course work. But I also getting along really well with my advisor, am pretty well funded, and love what I study. I don't know if I feel like getting a Ph.D is a joy ride... I think I just feel incredibly fortunate to be where I am. I definitely agree regarding the amount of work this takes though.
     
    I guess I'm just not convinced that we're necessarily in all that worse a position than anyone else who has to go out onto the job market with any humanities degree. I don't think you're wrong that some might see us as overqualified, "too smart," etc. or that one probably wouldn't want to give up on a teaching gig after one shot at it or that it would be hard to find employment after two years of being unemployed. And I don't think anyone would be excited about a job at Starbucks or Target after going through a Ph.D program. But I wasn't saying that it'll be easier to get "any job" just because one has a Ph.D. Each and every situation for someone with a degree in the humanities, whether all one has is an A.A. from a community college or a Ph.D from a TT school, presents its own unique challenges and advantages.
     
    When I only had a BA in English, getting a job teaching high school English in California was going to be nearly impossible for me without an MA. I was finishing my credential in 2007, right as the economy was falling off a cliff and schools were cutting teachers left and right. So I went to get an MA in English, decided not to go back to high school teaching, started teaching community college, thought I could do better, wanted to do something different, went to seminary, worked as a youth pastor while getting my MA in theology, and now I'm here. In each employment situation, I had certain advantages and disadvantages brought on by my education. I was a long shot for grad school to begin with going into my first MA. I have a 3.17 undergrad GPA, and I really had no clue what grad school entailed. Maybe I feel like I've just always beaten the odds! 
     
    Ultimately, I don't disagree with you. Getting a Ph.D is incredibly difficult and getting a job afterward is, I'm sure, going to be incredibly difficult. I'm just trying to look on the bright side of things I guess.
  12. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from Yetanotherdegree in Question re reading for advanced degree types   
    I use Growly Notes to organize everything by class/topic/article (but Mendeley sounds very interesting!) and synthesize as I go. I don't just hit the high points, but note questions, work out the logic of the argument, recognizing its underlying assumptions/what it does well/what it fails to answer. At the end, I feel I've engaged the text pretty well and retain more of the information as a result, and I imagine my Growly Notes strategy is going to serve me well come comps time.
  13. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Kuriakos in SOP for theology/religion: any tips?   
    Have a prof you trust read it. I didn't do that, and I think the SOP is where I blew it on a lot of my apps. 
  14. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from colormelovely in GRE testing for theologians :)   
    My verbal and writing percentiles were in the mid 90s. The upper 90s is the place to be, though, and I'm planning on retaking if this application season doesn't pan out. My best piece of advice would be to use the writing scorer on the ETS website. When you take the actual test, it is scored once electronically and once by a human being. These scores almost always concur, so having practice essays electronically scored is a great option. I had a lot of trouble figuring out what kind of writing was considered "good" by the GRE. I am still somewhat baffled!
  15. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Body Politics in Recommended prep before applying to ma in theology?   
    Develop some bad habits (drinking, smoking, too much caffeine, too little sleep). The rest really just comes together as you go.
  16. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Body Politics in "Reasons Not to Get a Ph.D." Posts/Articles   
    Lately I've noticed an influx on my RSS and Facebook feeds of people posting articles and essays cautioning students against pursuing the Ph.D. I get it. The job market is horrendous, adjunct pay is shit, academic freedom in confessional schools is under fire, and tenure is quickly going the way of the buffalo.
     
    Really, I get it. Now that I've been admitted to a Ph.D. program, I'm done thinking about it for a couple years (because I'm going to be pissing enough blood over the degree itself without worrying about what's [not] to come after it). But I do get it.
     
    But, honestly: I'm tired of the posts. I think they are unintentionally damaging Religion departments and the Humanities in general, as they not only discourage M* students teetering on the brink of applying to Ph.D.'s, but undergraduates as well. If I'd been inundated with such a spewing of "the bad news about graduate school" at age twenty-two, I might've jumped ship. I imagine others might have done the same. Who would have suffered for that? The struggling Ph.D.'s who wrote the article/blog post who teach in seminaries or graduate Religion departments. We're killing ourselves, man. There is a case to be made that laying on the reality check/discouragement is the ethical thing to do, but I'm afraid of the unintended consequences and the scores of bright undergrads who will be dissuaded from pursuing further studies in the Humanities because of these posts and articles.
     
    I'll now offer the soapbox to anyone who wants it. Your thoughts on these sorts of "Debbie Downer" Ph.D. posts?
  17. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to sacklunch in Preparation   
    I know A LOT of folks who did English/Theology (Religion) instead of Classics. I'm really happy I spent at least a couple years in UG learning some of that stuff....but meh, I prolly would have gone to a different school if I had to do it over again. What can you do about it now? Nothin. One of the reasons folks in religion/theology (particularly biblical studies) need multiple degrees is because many of us didn't come in with all the proper coursework...compared to a lot of other fields where you don't need a working knowledge of 3-4 languages before starting a PhD...I can't even imagine trying to break into the field with having, i dunno, a engineering major. 
  18. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Seatbelt Blue in So, where are you going?   
    Seton Hall University ICSST. I'm doing the research option, concentration in systematics. Already trying to dream up thesis ideas.
  19. Downvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Perique69 in Let's talk about the GRE (yet again)   
    I suggest that there is no realistic score that will "get you in."  Aside from being a multi-million dollar industry for testing companies, the GRE is required precisely because it creates a simple and (legally) safe way for schools to accept and reject students.  That's why you'll rarely get a clear from anyone about the "right" score.  Schools use the GRE to manipulate entering cohorts to their liking.  If a program wants to accept a student with low GRE scores, they'll downplay the significance of the GRE.  On the other hand, if the same school does not want to accept a student with high scores, they'll say, "Well, your GRE wasn't quite high enough."  If you have perfect scores, and they don't want to accept you, they'll say something like "Your scores raised some concerning questions with the admissions committee," etc.  The point is that there is a clear reason why all the very competitive programs get really cagey when they're asked about the GRE.  They start walking and talking on banana peels.  
     
    Also, if you ever want to have some fun with an admissions committee, ask them about the GRE scores of their own professors with European and Canadian doctorates, especially if such a professor asks you about your GRE score.  None of them took the GRE.  You'll get blank stares and uncomfortable glances, because they're not sure how to respond to the hypocrisy of requiring potential students to earn a certain score on a standardized exam that some of their own professors never took.  When they don't really respond to your question, sum up your point by saying something like, "So, your program hires professors who did not take the GRE, much less score higher than the 90th percentile, yet your program also requires that potential students must earn a certain score to be seriously considered for admission?"  
  20. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from Seatbelt Blue in How to balance language   
    I can't speak for Italian universities, but I know that all of the U.S. PhD programs I've looked into require both French and German - so ultimately, all of your bases will be covered.  
     
    There are also summer language institutes in German and French if you can work it out financially. You may actually be able to secure funding to attend one of these programs from your university. 
     
    I know that, at my school, semester-long reading knowledge courses are taught for both French and German after which most students are able to pass proficiency tests. It's a good start, if your school offers something similar. 
     
    If I were in your shoes, my instinct would be to take an intensive summer course in German (these usually emphasize oral communication, which would be relevant for your post-grad year but which would also be useful for reading) and work on French throughout the school year. Even if you can only fit in a French reading proficiency course, your skills would become more sophisticated as you continue to work with your primary sources. If you've already got a decent background in Italian, I'll bet you could bone up independently. 
     
    Hope this is helpful!
  21. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from Yetanotherdegree in GRE testing for theologians :)   
    My verbal and writing percentiles were in the mid 90s. The upper 90s is the place to be, though, and I'm planning on retaking if this application season doesn't pan out. My best piece of advice would be to use the writing scorer on the ETS website. When you take the actual test, it is scored once electronically and once by a human being. These scores almost always concur, so having practice essays electronically scored is a great option. I had a lot of trouble figuring out what kind of writing was considered "good" by the GRE. I am still somewhat baffled!
  22. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Body Politics in GRE testing for theologians :)   
    Let's talk about how stupid the writing portion of the test is.
     
    "Here's a stupid issue that has two obvious sides. Pick one, argue it, and craft a bullshit empire for the next thirty minutes."
  23. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to fuzzylogician in Can you defer admission to a doctoral program and then go somewhere else?   
    Technically? probably yes. Ethically and professionally? you might be shooting yourself in the foot. The professors you will have led on for no reason will remember you for all the wrong reasons. The best way to go about doing this kind of move is to let the school know you're deferring early on so you're not causing them to lose a spot in this year's cohort, and also be very careful about how and when you notify them the following year. But generally, having this plan from the get go sounds like a bad idea that is likely to backfire and have unwanted repercussions.
  24. Upvote
    EndlessAshley reacted to Kuriakos in What will you do if you don't get in?   
    Audition for the part of town drunk.
  25. Upvote
    EndlessAshley got a reaction from indefiniteintegral in MA Thesis Advice, Commiseration   
    My advisor offered some excellent advice the other day (this is his patented dissertation advice, so it may still be helpful if y'all are past this point in your thesis.)
     
    After you've done some reading and have ideally been mulling over your topic for quite a while, spend a few weeks writing a 'draft' without any sources or compunction about style. Just get all those ideas that have been swirling around in your head out onto the screen (we're talking, like, a significant number of pages in which you're actually working out the logic and not just free associating). Once you've finished and you've got all the elements in front of you, start structuring your outline from there. That way, when you seek secondary sources to beef up your arguments, you'll know exactly what information you're looking for and your research will be much more efficient.
     
    This advice probably won't work for everyone, depending on your own writing style. But as for me, I usually know exactly what I intend to say but don't know the best way to proceed. I have never actually followed an outline that I made prior to writing, and I've been known to spend days stuttering over the first paragraph. The logical sequence fits together naturally once I get going, but it's more something I sense as I'm writing and less something I can plan ahead of time. So I feel like this informal draft is a great (and much less overwhelming) way to dive in. 
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