the path of a university teacher

As the new year began, I decided to introduce a new section in the blog. I thought it would be useful to give you an overview about the plethora of the different career paths English can offer you. Let us see them briefly and realistically, taking into account that every position, even the most prestigious and the most crappy, has its joys and its challenges. What does it mean to be on the top of the academic world and be a university professor? What makes people choose a job in high schools when it is so underprivileged? What do you do with the loads of information -- from technical data to company secrets -- when you are an interpreter? How can you enjoy an office job in a multinational company? Should you go abroad, for an exotic experience or on a humanitarian mission, to teach English in an orphanage in Senegal?

The accounts will never be completely objective; while trying to be general, the interviewees share their own personal stories and challenge you to think with them. What does it mean to be a university professor? Let us see what an insider thinks.

Hi, Eva. As one of my favorite university professors, could you tell us where you work and for how long, so we see your background? 

I have been teaching at the English Applied Linguistics Department (of a university whose name the editor hid away) since 2007. 

 

Have you taught in any other environment?  

Yes, I have taught in three secondary schools in Budapest, in one tertiary college in London (teaching Russian and Russian studies at GCSE and A levels).   

Wow, quite a few places! What do you feel to be the main differences? 

One of the differences is that a teacher in a school gets to know their students much better than a lecturer at a university – sees the students more frequently and usually teaches them for a longer period of time (not only for 1 or 2 semesters). This affects not only your relationship with the students but also the way you teach: when you know your students, it is much easier to tailor the course to your students' needs. It is also much easier and, in fact, more accepted to make changes in the syllabus, methods, etc. as you go along in order to suit the needs of particular students better. 

What do you like about university teaching? 

The intellectual stimulation and challenges from my students as well as the discussions with them. I also like working with my students, be it a thesis, a project or a presentation. Another good thing about university teaching is that it is an intellectually  demanding job which keeps you on your toes. 

What are the main challenges in university teaching, generally and specifically for you? 

One of the main challenges in university teaching is to develop critical thinking, or thinking as such in students. To show that making the brain sweat while working on a problem is a pleasurable activity. The biggest challenge for me is motivation, how I can get my students to enjoy doing things in their heads. This is where the lack of contact, the once a week seminars present a real problem..

True, rarely do students (people) like to make efforts. To follow the thought, how can one overcome this challenge? What do you think a good university instructor is like? Who would you recommend a career as a university teacher for? 

A good university instructor is a thinking person, an intellectual who is open, tolerant and interested in their students. Somebody who has an inquisitive mind and for whom teaching and professional development go hand in hand. A good university instructor should be a teacher rather than a lecturer. 

Unfortunately current trends go against this. In a publish-or-perish culture, teaching is of secondary importance. 

Thank god, there are those who do it anyway. Thank you!

blind side

Let us return to the exciting experiment I presented to you last week. As a practice of adjectives and pronouns, my beginner student had to collect 10 attributes that he felt describe him the most, for one. For two, he also had to ask at least 3 other people to list some adjectives they found fitting for him. The atrributes, then, needed to go on the appropriate side of the face (the left was reserved for his self-description, while the right was the space dedicated for the opinions of the others).

Just to give you a short evaluation about his experiences, the student reported to have enjoyed the home assignment, because -- not only did he learn new vocabulary -- he had fun with his colleagues and friends. All in all, he said the majority of the qualities others considered characteristic of him were in line with his own perception of himself. (Although it was funny how someone described him as lazy, whereas someone else called him meticulous, orderly, and tidy -- slightly contradictorily.)

But instead of going into an analysis of his figure, keeping his personal rights safe, I thought I would give some feedback on mine. Last week I filled out the "me" side and asked you to provide me with the "them" side. Your comments were highly appreciated, as they proved to be useful not only for the class but also for my self-consciousness. Observe the results:

(I know, I know. The head looks like an octopus.)

There were 4 adjectives that both me and you (them) found characteristic (sensitive, empathic, creative, and sporty). Almost all of the qualities listed on the right side I could agree with and, if I had more space, I would have included. (What was maybe a bit surprising was cosmopolitan -- here I would be happy about some explanation :-). All in all, however, the biggest lesson lay in the comparison of what type of qualities I considered to be my first and most characteristic features and what others considered them to be. I mostly chose what I labeled hard "individualistic" qualities, in connection with mental capacities and willpower (analytic and dedicated), while others saw me much more as someone whose soft "interpersonal" qualities are more emphatic (gentle and caring).

If you check the figure above, you will find the shared adjectives in white, my descriptions in yellow, and those of the others in orange (creative and analytic, right? :-). Although it is obvious the perspectives are different (me observing myself from the inside, while others through interactions, that is, from the outside), the distribution of the colors says a great deal. 

I must conclude, you helped me find my soft spot... or blind side.

a stranger but not in a negative way

Last month we had a thought-provoking TEA (or palinka?) talk with Aaron, who spoke not only about his difficulties and privileges as a native (English) speaker but he also uncovered some motives that led him to leave a country that is still considered, by thousands of people every year, as the Promised Land. As a response to his interview, this month I invited Reka, whose journey seems to be going in the opposite direction. After being born and living decades in Central Europe, she left for the United States a couple of months ago. I asked her about how she sees her new country and what she thinks about national identity and about being a foreigner as a Romanian-born Hungarian living in America.

Welcome, Reka. Let me invite you for a virtual tea. How about an English Breakfast? Is it breakfast time over there?

Funny, but you’re right. The time difference is nine hours. By the time you eat dinner, I will have my breakfast. But a European one, more precisely a Hungarian one. I pretty much like to take with me my eating habits as well. Ha-ha! And there’s always “Bende kolbász” and ”Pirosarany” in our fridge... :D 

Our last interviewee, Aaron, referred to the US (at least in the 90s) as the home of “irrational exuberance.” What is your experience about it, coming from a Central Eastern European country?

Well, first of all let me thank Aaron: I’ve learnt a new expression today :-) Although my experience is only based on my few-month-stay in Massachusetts in 2006-2007 as a student involved in a work and travel program and these 3 months (hopefully many more to come) that I’ve already spent in Arizona. I also have to specify, I think, that at this point what brought me here wasn’t my love for this country, but for someone. Thus, as you might have imagined till now, I am not very fond of the “American life.” Aaron is right and I don’t really think too many things have changed here over the years. Yes, if you want to build a business, if you want to work hard and get rich, if you are interested in marketing, business, and consumerism, it’s the perfect place for you. But after a while it feels disappointing, because pretty much everything is about time and money. 

It is also very interesting to note, what I experienced on the East Coast is almost totally different from what I experience here, on the West. In Massachusetts I was a little bit closer to European-like cities -- small towns like the ones in Cape Cod, or the most beautiful one, Boston -- where you are surrounded by old buildings, museums, libraries, and so on. Phoenix (in the Western state of Arizona) is totally different. First you have to get used to the climate, then to the architecture, because most of the times, if you are a European, you cannot find the beauty of the old, of the majestic, beautifully ornamented buildings you might expect. Instead, you will find numerous shops, malls, gas stations, restaurants, all signs of American consumerism. This made people different as well; they are more likely to go to a concert or a game instead of a play; they would more likely to spare their time on applauses, because they will not be able to leave the parking garage fast enough; and they would more likely to have superficial conversations with you, because as we know, time is money…      

Sure. What a nice metaphor, right, dear colleague? Talking about metaphors and our professional cooperation leads me to the fact that we met in Budapest, Hungary. Would you consider your research trips to Hungary as being in a foreign country?

This is a very difficult question. Being a Hungarian, born and raised in Romania (more exactly Transylvania which used to be part of Hungary before 1920), I consider myself Hungarian. But when traveling or moving to Hungary, it was difficult to feel it my home at first. Not having language difficulties, I still had the same obstacles that Aaron mentioned. I had to learn the system. At home in Romania, if I had to go to the doctor or to the post office, I had to talk in Romanian and I’ve learnt to do all these in this language and according to that system. Of course, for me it was much easier: I could instantly ask for a “szilvapálinka” at the little pub on Moszkva tér.

It is also strange for a Hungarian coming from another country, and mostly from the surrounding areas, that he/she is seen by many Hungarians as a foreigner. For some of the people, I was a Romanian, although I was speaking as much or better Hungarian than they did. I was a foreigner at the bank and I was a foreigner at the library, for some of the neighbors and teachers. But then you just get used to it and little by little learn everything that will make your life easier in the new country, you will not be as homesick and will learn to love your new home. Because when living in Budapest, I did actually end up feeling that the city became my second home.

Good to hear that eventually it worked out. But why take all that trouble of leaving?

I decided to leave my home town and country for several reasons. When I first came to the U.S., it was because I had this opportunity as a student to come and work for a summer and then spend time to travel for a week before coming home. I wanted to experience the kind of life which was not similar at all to what I’ve experienced before. I wanted to see places that I thought I will never have the possibility to visit, like Boston, New York, and Washington DC. It was the dream of a 20-year-old to come and make some money that I can spend on my studies back home or just spend it on myself; the dream to be independent, far from home, from parents, just traveling with a backpack and wandering around big cities.

Then my studies brought me to Budapest. It was much more serious than just having fun; I had to do some research for my PhD. It was more likely that I will find help and part of the books I planned to read than in my hometown. Also, it wasn’t too far, so I could go home easier to teach and fulfill my other duties.

And now, well… I’m in Arizona because of the matters of the heart. Ha-ha!  

  

Well, that’s the best reason to leave for, isn’t it? Let us then consider another issue of the heart. How did you cope with the fact that whenever you moved, you left a part of your life behind?

My first longer trip was a little bit more difficult, because before that I’ve never been apart from my family and friends for such a long time. I wasn’t really used to change like Aaron. We always lived in the same town, same neighborhood, and same apartment. But I think I coped pretty well. At the beginning it is inevitable to be homesick. But in the age of the internet, social media, and Skype, I am able to be in touch with everyone. 

Sounds promising. So, all in all, how do you feel as an expat?

Being an expat sometimes comes with a negative connotation. But I can say that although I know and feel that I am a stranger here, and although my hometown and first home will always be one of the most important places for me, I am not a stranger in a negative way. And more than ever here, in a country which is full of foreign people. Most Americans are used to this and don’t make you feel bad about it; they are actually helpful. And of course everyone surrounding me is trying to make me feel at home.

Does it also mean that you manage to communicate with the locals smoothly?

It is pretty easy for me to get around and communicate with people, because I already know the language and have been learning it since I was a fifth grader. But from time to time some words or expressions come up that I don’t know and don’t understand. Language, as well as culture, can be a barrier sometimes. I just recently watched a show where Alexander Bródy said something extremely good related to this question. He said you will never be able to say „takaros menyecske” in another language; maybe you will say “nice, beautiful” but you will never be able to “go deep down” and feel the subtle differences in a language that is not your mother tongue.  

Can you think of a memorable experience of yours related to language use?

Once I had a funny experience when buying food. We were at a place where you can make your own salad, telling them what to put in it. The place is usually packed; you stand in a long line and enumerate everything you’d like to have on your plate. For someone who still has to translate some words when thinking of them, in my mind I knew that I’d like lettuce. But when I had to say it one by one and pretty fast, I said salad, because in my mind I had “saláta.” I can’t even be blamed, because the two words are similar. But the poor lady didn’t really understand why would I want salad in or with my salad, as I am actually ordering a salad...

Funny, indeed: salad with salad. Finally, what advice would you give to someone considering living abroad?

I would advice them to go and enjoy the experience. Try to learn the language as much as they can, to make friends that speak the language and can help them with practicing it. Also, I would advise them the same thing as Aaron said, to stay longer than just a couple of month, because they will need time to adjust, to get pass the point where they are lost, homesick and hate the new environment, the whole country if possible, because after that they will be able to see the beauties of the place. I think I got to be home in Budapest when I put down the map and could wander around without getting lost, being able to admire everything that surrounded me. 

I wish you the same in Phoenix.

me and them

New year -- new meetings. I have a new student, a beginner, or rather, a re-beginner. We have just started, so we are now in the exciting period of getting to know each other. As usual, I began with some self-introduction (his reaction to my prezume was, as expected: he appreciated it, admitting that visuals helped a great deal in filling his gaps to understand the talk). In the form of a game, tailored for his level, he was also made to share his -- initial -- thoughts about himself. 

Today, I felt, we could move on, both in digging out his forgotten English knowledge and in going deeper into a mutual opening up. I designed a game for him, in which pronouns, already refreshed in class, and adjectives, just introduced, could be practiced, while contemplating on something we are most interested in: ourselves.

He was expected to collect 10-15 adjectives that best describe himself and list them in the left side of the face. Then, in order to fill the right part of the face, he needed to ask 3 acquaintances to name 5-5 adjectives they think describe him the most. Of course, this game has not only linguistic but also psychological relevance.

Instead of revealing his answers, let me test the game on myself. Here are the adjectives I gathered about myself.

I am looking forward to filling the right side; so comments, with the 5 adjectives, are welcome.

what a decade

A week ago I posted an infographic summary of the past and (possible) future of education. The image suggested that education changed and will change drastically, thanks to the rapid progress of technology. Teachers have to adjust to and make use of the advancements, not only to catch up with the technical knowledge and interests of their students but also to enhance the learning process. The tools technology provide us with (can) make classes more efficient if they are used consciously. 

Take presentations for example. It caught me as a surprise when I peeked back how my talks looked like during my academic years -- which were not a long time ago -- and how I do them nowadays. The other day I bumped into a poster I had made for my presentation on Space Race, no later than in 2004. My professor said, after my performance, that in the history of his teaching at the university, this was the best presentation he had ever seen. And partly, it had to do with my visuals. Check them out for yourselves:

On a large piece of paper (size A2), I placed the visual summary of the 6 main steps in the Space Race and my talk, to function as a timeline for the events. I only included the most relevant data, which were dates and names, putting the most stress on visual clarity. Some important pictures (like that of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin, and the photo of the back of the Moon taken my Apollo 8 and Neil Armstrong's famous picture on the Moon) were accompanied by the national flags of "who came first." Quite clear -- but minimalistic (for the 21st century).

Just as a joke, I decided to make new visuals for the very same talk, to compare and contrast how I would do it today. And also to reveal what a giant leap technology made in just a decade. Back in 2004 my paper poster was unique. Today my prezi, a much more dynamic and spectacular visual support, would be appreciated but far from being exceptional. 

Of course, we should note that a presentation, or a class, doesn't depend solely on the looks but on the balance of content and looks (which our new age seems pretty often to be forgetting).

how to be positive

Although with business classes you are used to early morning or late evening classes, at the university you feel you have a choice and so do students. At the beginning of a semester, I  was shocked to realize that Scholarly Writing, the most difficult course I held, was scheduled early in the morning. By "difficult" I mean for the students. The course promised to be painstaking, because it involved a serious, creative process, writing -- both on the spot and in the form of home assignments. And students tend to agree with the quote, from Dorothy Parker, I like starting the course with:

"I hate writing. I love having written."

Foreseeing the troubles students were going to have, with the nature of the course and with the early hour (which at this age is a very serious problem), I decided to apply some of the methods I use in non-academic classes. I spent a couple of days brainstorming to find the appropriate warm-up activity that students would like and the course could use as a start. Eventually, I picked the popular and broad concept of music. The idea was that we start each class with a short piece of music (up to 5 minutes) that one of the students brings. This way, we get to know each other a bit better, we can build a stronger community, and we would overcome the problems specific to the start of the class, namely sleepiness corrupting concentration and late arrivals interrupting the flow. I tested the idea among my student-aged friends and it was approved.

You might ask how I integrated this task into the classes. Most of the times we had some short writing task connected to music, so students could feel this intro was not only about fun but also about work.

By now you must be dying to know how it went. I must say, it had a huge success. Students remembered and recalled it as a pleasant experience even way after the course ended. Because, as many students admitted, they "couldn't live without music." Apparently, I found a soft spot. 

Of course, I wouldn't be fair if I hadn't acknowledged that, while overall my choice was a success, it involved some less fortunate moments as well. It was just when I was exposed to its operation in practice that I realized how risky it was. Imagine, you have 15-20 students, each one different, with a different taste in music. And I handed the power of starting the class (that is, defining the tone of the class) to someone, whose mood and personality will influence us a great deal. For example, one student brought "Smack My Bitch Up" from Prodigy. It was not a positive start, but due to its extreme and well-known violence many people could isolate themselves from it, so the class was not wasted. One other time, however, someone's choice was a beautiful but devastatingly heart-breaking soundtrack. It killed us all. This was when I asked the group to pick something "positive" for the sake of all of us. Next class this is what one of them gave us as a positive start:

I love this song ever since. :-)

future of education

In our digital age, which has been considered a "pictorial" one too, there is a growing tendency (if not to replace but) to complement writing with pictures. Just think about the development of advertising, for example. In the early times, textual persuasion abounded, while today we can hardly read any verbal "anchoring" next to the gigantic tell-tale images (of a half-naked woman, a smiley family, a juicy hamburger, or a potent car).

Infographics, a collage of images and text, is a very effective means of modern story-telling. It is capturing, informative, and easy to follow. I recommend both its application and its creation, for educational and presentational purposes. As an example, take a look at the image below: an infographic illustration of the history of education.*

Do you see that future coming? Do you embrace that future coming?

* To enlarge it, either save it and zoom in, or visit this site.

from each other

In December, we started to focus on educational sites, after curating sites, as possible tools to support our teaching, and discovered Edudemic. I suggested that we take a peek at the article listing the winners of the EduBlog Award. Did you? Well, I did. And not only did I read that not too long piece but I also checked out the awarded sites, and I must say, it was an inspiration.

The winner, in the category of Teacher Blog, was EduTech for Teachers, created and maintained by Jamie Forshey, from Pennsylvania, United States. I was fascinated by the design of the site and, to be straight, by the steady frequency of the posts. 

To reflect on the first one, looks determine first impressions, thus, the design of a site matters a great deal (especially in a world full of visual stimuli). Her blog seems to be well thought through and fitting the content. As for the second aspect, regular posts make it more probable that readers will return and that you can keep up their interest. Of course, if quantity damages quality, it has an opposite effect. I must say, this latter consideration is what limits me to two posts per week: I simply don't have more time.

Other teacher's blogs can be sources of inspiration not only to gather ideas for your blog but also to learn teaching tips and observe the reflections of others. I got to read another (runner-up) blog about a teacher who is currently going through a burn-out: He confesses his failures and struggles without pretence, and by doing this he helps not only himself but the reader too. As I wrote before, we are not alone with our failures, our successes, and our closets.

future tense

After the reckoning, it is time for resolutions. What did you promise yourself for 2014? Some people  say, with a rebel spirit, I am not gonna change anything. Some others force themselves to make, if not changes, at least resolutions. But few actually act out, either by accepting or altering, in order to become more content. Because, the truth is, we are not content.

The question is why. Do we ask that at all? If we do, do we keep on asking it? And if we do, do we accept the answer?

As a scholar, I have always felt, it always starts with the question. To find the right question is already the answer. The other day I found a video which nicely illustrates this idea: the future belongs to the curious.

Ask. And ask again. And the quest for the answer will guide your way.

And the film raised a question in me.  

Why is it that few would notice, considering it natural, that the actor-character, to whom the future belongs, is male?