On slowing down and appreciating the work of students.
Too often, I hear faculty grumble about the quality of PhD Students. They fuss that they're too slow, that they're unfocused, or that they aren't as good as we were back in the good old days.
But are they?
Faculty who grumble should pause and consider what is expected of today's students versus when we were trained.
Here are a few tongue-in-cheek comparisons - that strike a bit too close to home.
Today's student: You must have several high-quality papers accepted or in revision.
Yesterday's student: You must have a paper under review.
Today's student: You must have several conference papers. Put the conference on your credit card, it's important.
Yesterday's student: A conference paper or two would be good. But, only if you can afford to go.
Today's student: You must write three essays to graduate, which are journal worthy.
Yesterday's student: Well, you know, less than half of dissertations ever have a journal paper published from them.
Today's student: You must have taught xyz (impossible course) and earned 4.5 or better evals to compete on the market.
Yesterday's student: Just try to get average evaluations.
One thing didn't change.
Today's student: You must find a job that makes your advisor proud.
Yesterday's student: You must find a job that makes your advisor proud.
While the post is tongue in cheek, the sentiment is not. Too often, we demand that PhD students act as assistant professors.
We do so because job markets seem to demand more and more papers and higher and higher teaching quality.
Rather than focus on learning process and to think, PhD students are being taught to focus on metrics applied for tenure - number of publications & teaching evaluations.
Yet, learning how to do research and think are the most important part of being a scholar - if you are going to be craft a sustainable academic career.
I was reminded of this lesson this past week when I spent two hours revisiting a project with a student. We thought through the challenges in the present study and what opportunities emerged for would come next. We could see the themes and a research agenda emerge. We could also see it would take time to realize our vision.
While slowing down, I came to appreciate that for my student, it wasn't about papers, it was about solving problems.
While we can't ignore the pressures of job markets for PhD students, which is what has driven the changes in academe, we can take time to help them become more measured and think - and by doing so - really appreciate their worth and their potential to change the world.
Take some time this week, to think about how to slow down & think with your students - by doing so - you will find the week more rewarding and gain a fresh appreciation for their intellect.
We can build a better academy if we take time to stop and appreciate each other!
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