In today’s Scholar’s Call piece, Paul Yandle meditates on how the experience of teaching shows him more about God, even in those moments when a student’s response is not what the professor was hoping for. [Read more…] about Scholar’s Call: The Student Who Walked Away
Failure
Success, Failure and the Protestant Work Ethic
Not long ago I wrote an Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) blog post about my experiences on the tenure track, sharing my concerns about whether I would get tenure and contemplating my priorities. I wanted to think through whether tenure even should be my primary goal, and what I would give up to achieve it. It was encouraging to me to see that I’m not alone, and that others feel some of the same pressures I do. Thank you to those who commented.
Looking back, though, I realized that I made some generalizations that I probably should have qualified, and that my tone at times came across as both arrogant and whiny. In my essay, I suggested that as a Christian, it’s hard to meet the university’s standards, since my values don’t always correspond to the expectations of my institution. I also expressed my frustration with the pressure I have felt in Christian circles that view excellent work as part of my Christian duty. But this isn’t the whole story. In many ways—dare I say most?—my faith has helped me to do better work than I may have done otherwise. [Read more…] about Success, Failure and the Protestant Work Ethic
13 Ways of Looking at Graduate School: Part 1
Today, we begin a new guest series by a longtime ESN member who has asked us to keep his name out of the limelight [as he has opportunity to serve in unqiue mission contexts — added by Tom, 9/1/2013]. All we’ll say for context is that he recently completed a PhD in the natural sciences at a major research university. We’re very grateful for his contribution to the blog. Thank you! The corny title, an allusion to Wallace Stevens’ poem, is my fault entirely. ~ Mike
By God’s help, I have recently finished my PhD and am now transitioning into a faculty position. I was asked to share some thoughts for this blog about finishing a PhD and the things I’ve learned during graduate school. While many of the points will already be familiar to most of you, I hope that you can derive some helpful benefit or reminder from them.
1. Failure is normal
Most days of experimental work for a science PhD feel like failures (at least mine did), with only a few intermittently punctuating days of success. Experiments often don’t work or give data that are hard to interpret, exams are often difficult, and there are the normal workplace stressors like interpersonal relationship problems and funding uncertainties. Because my thesis tried to combine two very different disciplines, I often felt like I would never graduate. Somehow it took me years before I realized the “constant failure” nature of grad school. Simply recognizing the normalcy of frequent failure is part of keeping balance in the middle of it. I realized that I was not alone (most grad students experience similar failures at times), and that God’s promises of His good purpose and care were true, were for ME, and were meant to be applied on these depressing days. [Read more…] about 13 Ways of Looking at Graduate School: Part 1
Much Loved Nothing
What a blessing to have heard from Nathan Foster, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Spring Arbor University, Spring Arbor, MI, over the the past several weeks. To wrap up the series I leave you with
- Belated “Happy Fathers Day!”
- Few quotes for inspiration
- Encouragement to pick up a copy of Wisdom Chaser: Finding My Father at 14,000 Feet (Nathan Foster. InterVarsity Press. 2010) for your summer vacation or reading group.
Much Loved Nothing
The implications of being loved just as I am are staggering. It was becoming clear that if I really understood that I was loved by God, I would have no need for pride or the crushing desire for others approval. Knowing I was loved was liberation from myself and from my silly ambitions. I was becoming a little child, free to explore the world with zero to prove (p.58). …
I would not rise from this experience to fight another battle the same way. The memory of this defeat would squelch my pride. Instead of retreating to the old lies about myself, however, I opted to let the ideas I learned on Longs sink deep into by consciousness. [Read more…] about Much Loved Nothing