Hi,
I was talking with Dee about how I teach, supervise, counsel, hang out with people. When I am working I aim to be competent and I try and arrange things so that I can give of my best, the more present I am able to be the better it usually goes. So I do the 'office politics' to bring this about as best I can, ie to spend as much time as possible on the things I enjoy doing workwise. At times it is a challenge to run my agenda in harmony with my that of colleagues, managers and the institution at large but I have some nouce on this.
Sometimes things seem to go really well, like they are functioning on a different level or state of consciousness. Unfortunately I don't have control over this, can't turn it on or off at will, it is not really about me. I can get out of the way, let it happen. I can be open to the possibility of things being better than usual as I put it to Dee.
But if I am not truly responsible for when things go amazing well am I responsible for those few occasions when it goes not well. I feel so. But sometimes I find myself with a group that is not receptive to what I am trying to do, or we don't gell or whatever. I seek to minimise these experiences to use my skill and nouce so that the conditions in which this can occur are infrequent. And I am human!
Post me on this stuff if you connect with it.
Best to all,
Bill on bike and enjoying the spring sunshine today.
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William
i just want to say that i deeply respect you for this attitude and can confirm that i have been at the receiving end of you 'trying to give your best', as your PhD student/supervisee. And, let's not forget that the role of the 'educator' is not just to teach or transmit knowledge, but also, if not mainly, to inspire and act as an example for the 'younger' spirits - something not easily found in academia...keep going and thank you!
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