New Job: Moving Up & Teaching While Still Doing Research

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a member's recent job transition to a primarily educational role while still engaging in some research. Participants express excitement and congratulations, sharing their thoughts on the implications of this new position, including teaching responsibilities and office conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares their enthusiasm about moving to a new office with better conditions, including a window and a functioning HVAC system.
  • Another participant inquires whether the member will be teaching different subjects in their new role.
  • The member indicates they will be teaching more classes and a wider variety of students, including nursing and dental students, while also aiming to learn and teach a medical neuroanatomy course.
  • Some participants express their happiness for the member's new position and the positive impact it may have on their teaching and student engagement.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the new office's window and the potential for a new handle reflecting the member's new role.
  • Concerns are raised about the challenges of teaching and the emotional toll of waiting for job decisions, with one participant humorously suggesting that teaching often feels like "bashing your head against the wall."
  • Participants discuss the need for privacy in the new office and the logistics of covering the window for changing clothes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the positive aspects of the member's new position and express excitement. However, there are humorous disagreements regarding the nature of teaching and the logistics of the new office setup.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions touch on the emotional aspects of job transitions and the challenges of balancing teaching with research commitments. The conversation also highlights the importance of office conditions for productivity and well-being.

Who May Find This Useful

Members interested in career transitions in academia, teaching methodologies, and the balance between research and education may find this discussion relevant.

Moonbear
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I've got a new job! I'm moving up...to an office almost directly above the one I'm currently in. :biggrin: Contract isn't signed yet, but I have the verbal offer and permission to start moving into my new office...one with a window finally! Actually, even better than a window, it's newly renovated and in the part of the building that has the new, and actually functioning HVAC system, so I'll have AC in summer and heat in winter, not the other way around. :biggrin: Who knows, maybe I'll even have my own thermostat in my office.

This is actually a slight shift in career direction for me. This is primarily an education position. I'll still be doing some research, but it'll be the more minor aspect of my time commitment. Writing research grants went from being a challenge to beating my head against the wall...people far more senior than me are losing funding left and right. At the same time, as you all can probably tell from my interaction with folks here, I LOVE teaching, so why keep bashing my head against the wall going nowhere when I can be content collaborating with other people on their research projects, and focusing my energy on teaching? So, I'm quite ecstatic today that I was offered this new position. :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
 
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Wonderful! Congrats, Moonie :cool: !

Will you be teaching anything different from what you do now?
 
WOOHOO!
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7555/flowerdancepleaseal7.gif

woohoo7usih7.gif
 
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Congratulations!

Now when you tell your co-workers you look down on them, you can mean it in more ways than one! :devil:
 
lisab said:
Wonderful! Congrats, Moonie :cool: !

Will you be teaching anything different from what you do now?

Not a lot different, just a lot more classes and students. I've already been teaching in the medical anatomy course, and this summer am teaching occupational therapy and exercise physiology students. This new position will add on teaching nursing and dental students too. And, without trying to juggle full-time research with teaching, I will be able to start learning the medical neuroanatomy course to pick up teaching that. I could teach parts of it already, but that's a course that I really want to learn and teach a lot more of. I tried to sit in on it a couple years ago, but their schedule is so intense, I couldn't get out of my research obligations enough to make it meaningful. Now I'll have time to dedicate to that class too.

The department also teaches the histology courses, but I don't think they need much help there. It's usually pretty easy to find people who can teach portions of histology. Though, if they need me to help there, I can come up to speed pretty quickly on that course.

Evo, I love those smilies. :biggrin: Woo hoo! One even has sparklers (I think that's what those are).
 
Congrats - after months of heavy drinking, it's finally over!
 
At least MoonBear doesn't have to do so many projects at the same time. I'm not sure if MoonBear wants to
 
We will have to change your handle to Starbear.
 
russ_watters said:
Congrats - after months of heavy drinking, it's finally over!

No kidding! I'm glad I had you to do some of the drinking for me. :biggrin: I didn't even realize how tense I was getting about it until I suddenly unwound after getting the news today (maybe that's why I bounced so high). At first, it was easy to just stay calm and patient, but I thought they were making decisions much earlier than they finally did, and when those dates passed, I thought I was passed over, then I'd run into someone who would let me know that decisions weren't made yet, maybe next week, then another week would pass, and still no news, etc. But, the wait is over! Phew!
 
  • #10
wolram said:
We will have to change your handle to Starbear.

LOL! Hmm...I will get to see more of that big yellow star that's out in the day time.
 
  • #11
Moonie, I am so happy for you! Congrats!
 
  • #12
That's great news! I'm excited for you!
 
  • #13
That is great news Moonbear! I'm sure you will love your new position, and the students will love it I am sure to, it is a rare treat to find a prof who really loves to teach! Having a window is exciting, windowless offices are so depressing. Some of the labs I work in have no windows and I hate it.
 
  • #14
Kudos to you, Moonbear. I can't think of anyone I know who's worked as hard as you have to accomplish what you have. I'm beyond happy for you!
 
  • #15
Is Nice! (Borat...)
 
  • #16
Evo took the original dance smiley I posted so I have to come up with a new one.
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/6785/pyrodancepleaseft2.gif

The original smiley is dancing with flowers.
 
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  • #17
Congrats!
 
  • #18
Thats wonderful news. And you get a window!
 
  • #19
Congrats. Moonbear, Now, about that window, are there three colored dots in the upper left corner? or is there an X in a red box in the upper right corner? :rolleyes:
 
  • #20
Great news for you, and great news for your school! You're a natural.
 
  • #21
Moonbear said:
I LOVE teaching, so why keep bashing my head against the wall going nowhere when I can be content (...) focusing my energy on teaching?

I always tought that teaching means just that - bashing your head against the wall. But I am known to be ocassionally wrong :wink:

Congratulations!
 
  • #22
Thanks again everyone. Christina, that's a really nifty dancing smiley! (Yes, Evo's been known to steal smilies...she hoards them.)

Andre said:
Congrats. Moonbear, Now, about that window, are there three colored dots in the upper left corner? or is there an X in a red box in the upper right corner? :rolleyes:

:smile: I'll move up my X in the corner windows with me, but maybe if I'm good, they'll let me buy a new one with colored dots in the corner.

But now I have to find a new Disney paper to cover the window on my door. My current office has a square window, and the new one has a long, skinny window, so I can't take my paper with me. :frown: (Since I wear scrubs for the classes, I need to be able to cover the windows to change into clean clothes in my office...oh, I better get blinds for the window too!)
 
  • #23
Congratulations! A window is great!

But now I have to find a new Disney paper to cover the window on my door. My current office has a square window, and the new one has a long, skinny window, so I can't take my paper with me. (Since I wear scrubs for the classes, I need to be able to cover the windows to change into clean clothes in my office...oh, I better get blinds for the window too!)

Cover your window with this. That way you'll have a mirror to check your appearance before leaving your office.
 
  • #24
~christina~ said:
Evo took the original dance smiley I posted so I have to come up with a new one.
[PLAIN]http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/6785/pyrodancepleaseft2.gif

The original smiley is dancing with flowers.
<steals christina's new smiley>

[PLAIN]http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/6785/pyrodancepleaseft2.gif

and adds one

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/766/cheerdx6.gif
 
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  • #25
Evo said:
<steals christina's new smiley>

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/6785/pyrodancepleaseft2.gif
What is that thing, anyway - a flaming frog?
 
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  • #26
BobG said:
Cover your window with this. That way you'll have a mirror to check your appearance before leaving your office.
Yikes, that's expensive stuff! I'm not sure I want a mirror to know what my appearance is on the days I'm headed to lab. Better make sure I put it on the right side of the window too (though, that would be nifty to have a one-way mirror on the door so I could see out and the students pacing in the hall wouldn't know I could watch them when they couldn't see in...would also mean I'd have privacy inside the office without having to block the window completely.

The paper I have over the window in the door now is perfect though. It's somewhat translucent, kind of like waxed paper, so it provides privacy, but still let's the light show through so people know if I'm around or not.
 
  • #27
Congrats Moonbear! Hope you'll be a lot happier. :smile:
 
  • #28
Moonbear said:
Yikes, that's expensive stuff! I'm not sure I want a mirror to know what my appearance is on the days I'm headed to lab. Better make sure I put it on the right side of the window too (though, that would be nifty to have a one-way mirror on the door so I could see out and the students pacing in the hall wouldn't know I could watch them when they couldn't see in...would also mean I'd have privacy inside the office without having to block the window completely.

The paper I have over the window in the door now is perfect though. It's somewhat translucent, kind of like waxed paper, so it provides privacy, but still let's the light show through so people know if I'm around or not.

When you get your new office set up, post a picture!
 
  • #29
Moonbear said:
Thanks again everyone. Christina, that's a really nifty dancing smiley! (Yes, Evo's been known to steal smilies...she hoards them.)



:smile: I'll move up my X in the corner windows with me, but maybe if I'm good, they'll let me buy a new one with colored dots in the corner.

But now I have to find a new Disney paper to cover the window on my door. My current office has a square window, and the new one has a long, skinny window, so I can't take my paper with me. :frown: (Since I wear scrubs for the classes, I need to be able to cover the windows to change into clean clothes in my office...oh, I better get blinds for the window too!)

congrats!

now your (avatar) cat has a window
 
  • #30
Woop!
 

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