Search Results for: college professors

College Professors- Are They Worth More Money?

Teachers are not known for making a lot of money. While some states and districts are giving pay raises and incentives for teachers to remain in their areas, the respect is still not there. Although teaching is a profession and teachers are professionals, they usually are not paid and held in the high regards of other professionals such as doctors and lawyers. I think in society’s eyes, college professors are the most prominent of teachers. This is likely due to the difficulty of the academic materials that they usually teach. In addition, many college professors hold a doctorate degree. This … Continue reading →

English College Professors Vote to Boycott Israel Academics

The 67,000 member National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education voted on Monday to encourage a boycott of Israeli academics who have not publicly renounced what it calls Israel’s “apartheid” policies. The boycott is not mandatory, rather it encourages members to cut professional ties with colleagues in Israel who have not publicly renounced the construction of the wall and separate educational systems. Last year a similar action was considered by the American Association of University Teachers, but was withdrawn after criticism of some members. The position of the English academics is somewhat controversial. At their annual conference, the … Continue reading →

College Part 2

Last time I hit you with some general advice about going to college. Mostly though I talked about my experience of being on both sides of the divide (student/teacher) and empathizing with the difficulties of seemingly abandoning your former life (family, friends, jobs, familiar environments, etc.) to attend college somewhere else with people you don’t know and professors you’ve never heard of in fields you are either too (or completely “un-“) certain about. It’s a challenging shift for anyone. So I have some advice based on my own time as a student as well as my time as a grad … Continue reading →

College Majors and Jobs

Often when college students select a major, they are not usually thinking beyond graduation to the job or career it might lead. When I worked as a counselor years ago in a college, I met up with many seniors who were switching their majors. They realized that the major they thought they wanted as freshman, was not going to get them the job they wanted when they graduated. At the time, they felt stressed and worried about life after college. However, when it comes to college work, there is rarely any lost time. Few jobs involve only one subject area, … Continue reading →

Tips on How to Talk with Your College Professor

College life can be tough. In addition to learning responsibility, you are also under a lot of academic stress. Depending on the field that you major in, you may have many long hours of studying. Unfortunately, not all professors do their job of teaching you. Therefore, you cannot always expect the help that you need from your professor. While some professors are lacking, there are many good ones out there. With some college professors, it is all in how you present yourself. We have all seen the movies where college professors seem to pick on one student or another. Handling … Continue reading →

Sending Your Kids To College For The Summer

As you set out making your plans for summer programs for your kids, don’t overlook your local college. Many colleges offer classes and camps for kids. You can usually find out about these offerings through the department that handles continuing education or special courses. It’s a great way for your kids to get a taste of what college life is all about. Here in Mobile, The University of South Alabama offers camps for kids as young as 5. They offer a little bit of everything: art, foreign language, even a CSI Forensic Science Camp. Some campuses also offer enrichment classes … Continue reading →

College Classes and the Homeschooler: Auditing Classes

Many homeschooling parents begin to panic when their children reach middle school age, because, no matter what statistics say, they have no idea how they will get their homeschooler prepared for college. I have on piece of advice here… Enroll them in college now! By enrolling your high school (and sometimes younger) homeschooled child in community college courses, you will have no doubt at all that they can handle the work at a four year college. By having a few college courses under their belts, they will also prove to the college admissions officers their capabilities and therefore have an … Continue reading →

Public Ratings for Professors

As future college students prepare to find the school of their choice, undoubtedly they will be encouraged to surf the web for information, visit colleges, and investigate scholarships. Now they can take a look at the actual professors, and what students think of them. Ratemyprofessors.com is an interesting and entertaining site. Registration is free, and registered members can surf through schools they are considering, and look at student commentary on faculty members in their areas of interest. Rebuttal of comments is also invited. Student feedback is not scientific data, nor is it wholly reliable. Still, if a student is planning … Continue reading →

Illinois Teachers Lose Retirement Insurance Benefits

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It is now official. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has signed legislation that takes away the free health insurance benefits that were promised to retired government employees, including teachers. The purpose of this legislation is to help balance the budget for the state of Illinois. There was a point in time when I was living in Illinois, and working as a substitute teacher. Back then, my hope was to find full-time employment as an Art teacher in one of the public schools in Illinois. That plan didn’t work out. The state was in the process of cutting away Art positions, and … Continue reading →

Retired State Employees in Illinois to Pay for Insurance

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Retired state employees in Illinois are going to have to find a way to pay for their health insurance premiums very soon. The Illinois House of Representatives and Senate has approved a bill that Governor Pat Quinn has promised to sign. This change affects retired university employees, lawmakers, judges and some retired teachers. In February of 2012, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn wanted to cut the state of Illinois’ contributions for the health insurance benefits of retired teachers. This would affect retired school teachers and retired community college professors. The purpose of these cuts was to save the state of Illinois … Continue reading →