As with all things great, After Grad: Teaching Careers Week (TCW) sadly had to come to an end. This week aimed to cover a variety of ways for you to think about and prepare yourself for teaching now and for when you're ready to pursue a teaching-focused career in the future. To accomplish this, TCW contained two panels, one-on-one sessions with faculty, two workshops, a clinic, and six Teaching Development Track presentations!

[Image Description: Actor Allison Brie is shocked and puzzled at something.]

Pictured: The sheer amount of TCW content may shock you

Now, if your reaction was the same as Allison here, do not worry. All of these (except for the diversity statement clinic) will be made available at our Past Workshops Recordings Page, but TODAY I will give you some highlights and lessons learned from this most educational of teaching events.

[Image Description: Neil deGrasse Tyson looks excitedly into the camera and yells “Let’s do this!”]

Pictred: What Neil said

Several of the presenters concur that, regardless of how we may feel about it, online teaching will probably not disappear after campuses reopen. Dr. Anne Soon Choi highlighted that we are in all liklyhood not returning to the old normal – but rather to a new form of normal. This makes online teaching experience, and knowledge of online teaching pedagogy, invaluable. Thsi is particularly true at state institutions or universities with large classes, where interviews may now sometimes include an online teaching demo.

[Image Description: Originally a cover for a 1990s internet instruction manual, a young boy with a green cap, red sweater, and jeans is surfing on a computer keyboard above the Earth. Behind him, other children are doing the same. They are all animated to hover up and down.]

Pictured: We truly continue to live in a Digital Age.

Speaking of teaching demos, have you thought about how to best highlight your teaching and service work in your diversity statement? Graduate Writing Center Coordinator Christina Trujillo organized a workshop where she talked about what pitfalls to avoid and what to potentially highlight in this type of document. First, it is helpful to understand what ‘diversity’ means to you and to the institution that you are looking to apply to. You may find that the institution's definition does not align with your own. Another thing to consider is that your service work can be as applicable as your teaching – yet most leave this work out of their statement. Your community work, service roles, or impact on departmental policies are all aspects that are worth highlighting.

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Pictured: You, revealing your great work

Investigating the institution you are applying to was something that was highlighted at the two panels this week. Want to pursue a career in teaching at Liberal Arts Colleges, California State Universities, or Community Colleges? Advice that went around our panels was to be able to speak to the needs of the institutions you apply to. This goes from your letters of recommendation to your teaching statement. You should help your hiring committee connect the dots between their institution and your experience.

[Image Description: Singer Yura Yunita holds looks back and forth through a magnifying glass.]

Pictured: You, investigating the needs of the college and determining if you are a good fit.

Applicants often don’t understand that there are other obligations that are part of the job aside from ‘just’ teaching. Such obligations include service work and out-of-class student interactions. Make it clear that you understand all that the position asks of you and if you’re unsure, just ask! For teaching-focused institutions, it is also important to “prime” your letter writer as to the values of the institution where you are applying, to avoid them writing a standard research-focused letter. Another tip is to maybe reach out to alumni from the campus to learn about the student culture there.

[Image Description: Peter Baelish on Game of Thrones says “Knowledge is power.”]

Pictured: Knowing as much as possible about the place you’re going to work is crucial.

This blog began with revealing that online teaching is probably here to stay, but according to James Alcala and Marziye Jafariyazani, online teaching does not have to be that different from teaching in person. The key to succeeding at both is a truly passionate instructor that is invested in their students’ success. The only real ‘difference’ is that online instructors must have a more extensive knowledge of specialized online educational tools – but this is something that can be learned over time!

[Image Description: Patrick and Spongebob walk up to a desktop computer. Patrick gestures towards it and says: “We have technology.”]

Pictured: We have the technology, but how do we use it?

And there you have it; some lessons learned from a week jam-packed with panels, workshops, and presentations. Did I mention every single one in this blog? Absolutely not. How could I? I didn’t even get into Dr. Choi’s explanation of contract grading or the presentations on retention strategies, discussions, or social media, among others.

But that doesn’t mean they’re gone forever! The Graduate Student Resource Center has recorded all the sessions and is making them available through this website. There you can also find recordings from previous After Grads and our other workshops. After all, After Grad: Teaching Careers Week (TCW) may sadly had to come to an end, but it’s lessons will stay with us through recorded media.

 

[Image Description: William Holden and Gloria Swanson watch a projected film in Sunset Blvd.]

Pictured: You, finding the clues you need to succeed in our recorded program