new years resolutions

[GerritM]

--
www.extra.research.philips.com/natlab/sysarch/
<...snip...>
"Laura Creighton" <lac at strakt.com> schreef in bericht
news:mailman.1041794830.7571.python-list at python.org...
> > Now, if I may ask a personal question, what you didn't like in
science/academ
> > ia ?
>
> This is just off the top of my head....
>
<snipped uncommented issues>
> 3. believing that teaching is something that comes naturally.  No effort
>    is made to train professors on how to teach well.  This is a trainable
>    skill.

unfortunately it is only trainable if sufficient teaching potential is
present,
many people will never become good teachers :-(

> 4. in some places -- forcing people to teach so that you cannot simply do
>    research all the time if you hate teaching.  in other places, getting
>    rid of or valuing less the great teachers, because their research isn't
>    so hot.  Many places do both, of course.

teaching is often regarded as a burden, which has to be fairly distributed.
This is completely the wrong attitude, but it explains your experience.

> 6. Classroom teaching as opposed to Master/Apprentice type relationships.

very complementary ways of teaching, both of them are needed.
Unfortunately master apprenticeships are not always easy tor ealize in
academic settings.

> 9. A life focused on Grading people.  Making grades, not knowledge or
>    wisdom the important centre of the universe.

yes, again wrong attitude. Note that in general the trend is in the wrong
direction,
performance contracts focusing on easily measurable numbers (#grades),
instead of tru goal (accumulated and shared wisdom), see 25!

> 25. Focusing on that which can be measured (in itself a good thing, and
>     the secret of Western success) but not to the extent where that
>     which cannot be measured is deemed unimportant, or even non-existant.

> Laura
>
nice list! regards Gerrit