Reality vs. Virtuality: Balancing academia with teh intarwebz persona

[reclaiming]

It has been a long time since I've kept up an LJ on a regular basis and I was hesitant to come back at all. I have come to the conclusion over several years of blogging that I have no particular wish to share my life with the world. I do, however, confess a strong desire to write with more depth and passion than the robotic prose required for

Comments

[snowmonkeyplum]

I just took a look at your user info and saw that you are now an assistant professor-- congratulations! Did you complete your Ph.D.? I'm actually about to begin my Ph.D. in political science this fall, and hope to join the assistant professor ranks as well. Anyway, best wishes from PA! :)

[reclaiming]

Thanks. I have an MFA, which is a terminal degree - in many ways like the PhD as far as the administration is concerned. I don't plan to go back for a PhD for at least a few years.
It's so exciting that you'll be in your doctoral program! What's your specific interest in PoliSci?

Right back at ya from KS :)

[eilonwy]

Or you could be like me and just keep everything friends only. :) I like your plan, actually, but that wouldn't be in keeping with how I use my LJ. (My students are allowed to know about Project-Cat, but not so much about here-- but then, even if they did, they'd not see anything newer than 2005 or so.)

Also, I saw the email you sent, but was a stoopid-head and didn't respond. I can't imagine you so much in KS, but congratulations on the position. You're so awesome. I hope I can find a job when it's time... (2 years and counting, although I may have lost a bit of ground what with doing nothing productive this summer.)

[reclaiming]

Yes, I did the friends-only thing here for a long while. Then I started a blogger account for public posts. Then I got confused which journal I should post what in- So you see that's a problem for me.

Your method is definitely the safer way to go.

Don't worry about the no-response thing. I mass-emailed you, I think, so I was the first at fault. It's been a while since we've caught up.

I moved here for the job, not the location, but am as surprised as anyone that I actually like it here. It's a smallish town with very little traffic and a community feel. I expected it to feel like Macungie but it's much friendlier and varied. My one complaint is a lack of variety in food. Specifically, there is no sushi here. I am beside myself.

As for your future, what is this degree in? I can never remember. All I can think of is literature and Shakespearean theatre. Darned if I know what that means, though.

[eilonwy]

Shakespearean theatre (teaching and directing) was the MLitt and MFA done in VA. Now I'm doing my PhD in literature (although I'm still focusing on renaissance theatre) out here in AZ. :)

I'm really glad to hear from you, btw, especially since you seem to be doing well. My parents will be glad to hear it, too. :)

[anonymous]

I totally agree with the general message here, I think that as an educator you have the right to maintain, or, in this case, reclaim your individuality, in this new world of cyber-collective-unconsciousness. As blogging becomes more and more mainstream, the old stigma of revealing your inner thoughts online is being pushed aside in the interest of the sharing and spreading of knowledge, which in my opinion doesn't have to be, and in fact should never be, cold and impersonal, but rather open, personal, and inviting. Even in the classroom, I think that it should be stressed that while the educator's job is to convey a certain set of information and knowledge to students, it is always a little biased, always a little skewed, simply because the educator is not objective - they are a person, too. And I think that it's important to stress this fact to students, because the educator is not all-powerful or all-knowing, they are merely a conduit for learning, and the most important factor in this is that the student does doubt, does seek, of