Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
[The following letter was written to John Archibald, editorial writer at the Oshkosh Northwestern on Sunday, May 22, 2005 by Miles Maguire of the Oshkosh Community News Network and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. It is published here with his permission and we thank him for his generosity in allowing us to do so.]
Dear Mr. Archibald:
This is an open letter to the editorial writer at the Northwestern.
I’m assuming you’re the one who wrote this morning’s editorial in the Northwestern. If not, please pass these comments on to the responsible party.
First of all, I think you can rest assured that everyone I know who is employed at UW Oshkosh, from the chancellor on down to the lowliest classroom instructor, would gladly add an extra three hours on to our workweek if we thought that would solve the university’s budget problem.
Unfortunately, and contrary to your paper’s analysis, adding three hours to our workweek wouldn’t allow us to teach a three-hour class.
Let me see if I can explain this to you by offering an analogy. How long do you think it took the average reader to get through this morning’s editorial? Do you think it was 30 seconds, 90? Well let’s say it was a whole five minutes.
Should we conclude that since it only took five minutes to read the editorial that it took only five minutes to write it? If that’s the case, in the course of an eight-hour day, you should be able to write close to 100 editorials. In less than a week, you should be able to write an editorial for every day of the year. Following your logic, you should be paid for only one week’s worth of work each year, and Gannett’s shareholders should receive the balance of your salary in the form of higher dividends.
But, of course, that’s not right.
Teaching works similarly. What the students may experience for three hours a week actually takes a whole lot more time to prepare for and follow up on. A rule of thumb that I give to students is that I expect them to spend two hours out of class for every hour they spend in class: reading, working on assignments, preparing for tests and quizzes, etc. For myself, I would estimate that I spend about four hours a week for every hour of classroom time: preparing lectures and classroom exercises, primarily, but also responding to student inquiries and evaluating their work.
I know there are teachers who put in more hours on campus than I do, and there may be some who work less. But if you do the math, you’ll notice that most of us who are teaching three courses a semester are already working more than a standard 40-hour workweek even before we take into account the fact that teaching is only one phase of our job responsibilities.
Like the news business, teaching is a dynamic field, where knowledge and practice are changing constantly. As a result, good teachers don’t have the ability to perform their jobs in assembly line fashion, repeating over and over again the same motions that they went through before.
As you well know, newspapers are having a hard time holding on to their readers these days. There are numerous, and sometimes competing, explanations, but a key problem is that the contemporary audience is inundated with media—TV, music, video games, the Internet—and as result is easily distracted.
Like journalists, teachers have to work harder these days to keep the attention of those we are trying to affect. That means that every semester we have to try to develop new ways of connecting with students. Standing in front of a classroom for three hours just won’t cut it.
One of the things I’ve heard about the mainstream media is that they are more credible because they have editors and check facts. But your paper’s editorial does not seem to reflect a thorough effort to collect facts.
For example, you suggest that K-12 teachers and college professors are working under similar conditions and requirements. While both groups are viewed primarily as teachers, both groups also engage in a great deal of community service. Beyond that college professors are required by the terms of their employment to engage in research or other professional activity. If we fail to conduct and publish research, we are at risk of losing our jobs. Even tenured professors, whose jobs are theoretically most secure, must continue to do research if they wish to advance.
You didn’t name him (and I don’t understand why not since your paper seems to have a big problem with anonymity), but your editorial seems to refer to an individual professor, Tony Palmeri. It’s true that he does have a high profile in our community, but I think you should recognize that what he is doing is in keeping with the Wisconsin Idea—that the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state. You may also recall that UW Oshkosh’s current chancellor has worked tirelessly on his vision of the university being of service to the whole community.
The official language goes like this: “The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will be a national model as a responsive, progressive, and scholarly public service community known for its accomplished record of engaging people and ideas for common good.”
Speaking of Chancellor Wells, he is a tenured member of the sociology department. I am certain, given his obvious commitment to the school and the community, that he would be the first to take on additional teaching duties if he could accomplish that successfully in three hours a week.
Unfortunately, it just cannot be done.
One good thing about your editorial this morning is that it underscored the need for alternative news outlets in Oshkosh. Your paper clearly is the dominant news gathering operation in town with the greatest ability to influence public opinion. But you seem to have very little understanding about the operations of the university, which is one of the largest and oldest institutions in the city.
That seems to be something you should work on. Even if you just devoted three hours a week to the task, it might make a big difference.
Miles Maguire
Assistant Professor
Department of Journalism
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, May 23 2005 @ 04:12 PM MDT
So, Eye On Oshkosh believes that Public School teachers need to give more concessions, but not University Professors?
You can't stand on both sides of this issue.
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: admin on Monday, May 23 2005 @ 04:29 PM MDT
To Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous,
Apparently you have not taken the time to read this piece very carefully. If you did you would have seen that I did not write it. Nor did I ever say that public school teachers needed to make more concessions. I think there may be better ways for them to do some of the things they do. In addition, I do happen to agree that Ben Schneider's compromise was reasonable and I also think the school board members who voted against reconsidering the calendar and early release were derelict in their duty by not considering the needs and will of those they are to serve. How you got anything more out of a piece someone else wrote is beyond me.
For the record, I have long been a champion of teachers and their causes, but I don't think they should necessarily automatically get everything their union always demands either.
In any event, your misjudgment or misunderstanding has also apparently given you the belief that you can put words in my mouth about other issues. Please stick to the facts of what I have said, not what you believe I have said or want others to believe I have said. Hopefully now you know where I stand.
Cheryl Hentz
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 24 2005 @ 07:28 AM MDT
At least Cheryl Hentz has the courage to take a stand and sign her name to it! Agree with her or not.........
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: Jim B. on Tuesday, May 24 2005 @ 07:42 AM MDT
Cheryl,
I know this was an issue when you first started this site, but maybe it is time to start requiring everyone to log in with a name. It is too easy to be anonymous and spew negative non-productive crap.
Jim B.
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: admin on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 @ 8:28 AM MDT
Jim B.,
I agree that some people have a tendency to be anything but polite; in fact, they are down-right ugly and mean-spirited. I think that when people behave that way it is usually because they are immature and can't make a strong enough argument without insulting others or trying to intimidate them. I am not quite at the point yet where I want to require everyone to register, but I am starting to think there will come a time when it is necessary. Thanks for your suggestion.
Dear Mr. Archibald:
This is an open letter to the editorial writer at the Northwestern.
I’m assuming you’re the one who wrote this morning’s editorial in the Northwestern. If not, please pass these comments on to the responsible party.
First of all, I think you can rest assured that everyone I know who is employed at UW Oshkosh, from the chancellor on down to the lowliest classroom instructor, would gladly add an extra three hours on to our workweek if we thought that would solve the university’s budget problem.
Unfortunately, and contrary to your paper’s analysis, adding three hours to our workweek wouldn’t allow us to teach a three-hour class.
Let me see if I can explain this to you by offering an analogy. How long do you think it took the average reader to get through this morning’s editorial? Do you think it was 30 seconds, 90? Well let’s say it was a whole five minutes.
Should we conclude that since it only took five minutes to read the editorial that it took only five minutes to write it? If that’s the case, in the course of an eight-hour day, you should be able to write close to 100 editorials. In less than a week, you should be able to write an editorial for every day of the year. Following your logic, you should be paid for only one week’s worth of work each year, and Gannett’s shareholders should receive the balance of your salary in the form of higher dividends.
But, of course, that’s not right.
Teaching works similarly. What the students may experience for three hours a week actually takes a whole lot more time to prepare for and follow up on. A rule of thumb that I give to students is that I expect them to spend two hours out of class for every hour they spend in class: reading, working on assignments, preparing for tests and quizzes, etc. For myself, I would estimate that I spend about four hours a week for every hour of classroom time: preparing lectures and classroom exercises, primarily, but also responding to student inquiries and evaluating their work.
I know there are teachers who put in more hours on campus than I do, and there may be some who work less. But if you do the math, you’ll notice that most of us who are teaching three courses a semester are already working more than a standard 40-hour workweek even before we take into account the fact that teaching is only one phase of our job responsibilities.
Like the news business, teaching is a dynamic field, where knowledge and practice are changing constantly. As a result, good teachers don’t have the ability to perform their jobs in assembly line fashion, repeating over and over again the same motions that they went through before.
As you well know, newspapers are having a hard time holding on to their readers these days. There are numerous, and sometimes competing, explanations, but a key problem is that the contemporary audience is inundated with media—TV, music, video games, the Internet—and as result is easily distracted.
Like journalists, teachers have to work harder these days to keep the attention of those we are trying to affect. That means that every semester we have to try to develop new ways of connecting with students. Standing in front of a classroom for three hours just won’t cut it.
One of the things I’ve heard about the mainstream media is that they are more credible because they have editors and check facts. But your paper’s editorial does not seem to reflect a thorough effort to collect facts.
For example, you suggest that K-12 teachers and college professors are working under similar conditions and requirements. While both groups are viewed primarily as teachers, both groups also engage in a great deal of community service. Beyond that college professors are required by the terms of their employment to engage in research or other professional activity. If we fail to conduct and publish research, we are at risk of losing our jobs. Even tenured professors, whose jobs are theoretically most secure, must continue to do research if they wish to advance.
You didn’t name him (and I don’t understand why not since your paper seems to have a big problem with anonymity), but your editorial seems to refer to an individual professor, Tony Palmeri. It’s true that he does have a high profile in our community, but I think you should recognize that what he is doing is in keeping with the Wisconsin Idea—that the boundaries of the university are the boundaries of the state. You may also recall that UW Oshkosh’s current chancellor has worked tirelessly on his vision of the university being of service to the whole community.
The official language goes like this: “The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will be a national model as a responsive, progressive, and scholarly public service community known for its accomplished record of engaging people and ideas for common good.”
Speaking of Chancellor Wells, he is a tenured member of the sociology department. I am certain, given his obvious commitment to the school and the community, that he would be the first to take on additional teaching duties if he could accomplish that successfully in three hours a week.
Unfortunately, it just cannot be done.
One good thing about your editorial this morning is that it underscored the need for alternative news outlets in Oshkosh. Your paper clearly is the dominant news gathering operation in town with the greatest ability to influence public opinion. But you seem to have very little understanding about the operations of the university, which is one of the largest and oldest institutions in the city.
That seems to be something you should work on. Even if you just devoted three hours a week to the task, it might make a big difference.
Miles Maguire
Assistant Professor
Department of Journalism
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, May 23 2005 @ 04:12 PM MDT
So, Eye On Oshkosh believes that Public School teachers need to give more concessions, but not University Professors?
You can't stand on both sides of this issue.
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: admin on Monday, May 23 2005 @ 04:29 PM MDT
To Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous,
Apparently you have not taken the time to read this piece very carefully. If you did you would have seen that I did not write it. Nor did I ever say that public school teachers needed to make more concessions. I think there may be better ways for them to do some of the things they do. In addition, I do happen to agree that Ben Schneider's compromise was reasonable and I also think the school board members who voted against reconsidering the calendar and early release were derelict in their duty by not considering the needs and will of those they are to serve. How you got anything more out of a piece someone else wrote is beyond me.
For the record, I have long been a champion of teachers and their causes, but I don't think they should necessarily automatically get everything their union always demands either.
In any event, your misjudgment or misunderstanding has also apparently given you the belief that you can put words in my mouth about other issues. Please stick to the facts of what I have said, not what you believe I have said or want others to believe I have said. Hopefully now you know where I stand.
Cheryl Hentz
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 24 2005 @ 07:28 AM MDT
At least Cheryl Hentz has the courage to take a stand and sign her name to it! Agree with her or not.........
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: Jim B. on Tuesday, May 24 2005 @ 07:42 AM MDT
Cheryl,
I know this was an issue when you first started this site, but maybe it is time to start requiring everyone to log in with a name. It is too easy to be anonymous and spew negative non-productive crap.
Jim B.
Open letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern editorial writer, John Archibald
Authored by: admin on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 @ 8:28 AM MDT
Jim B.,
I agree that some people have a tendency to be anything but polite; in fact, they are down-right ugly and mean-spirited. I think that when people behave that way it is usually because they are immature and can't make a strong enough argument without insulting others or trying to intimidate them. I am not quite at the point yet where I want to require everyone to register, but I am starting to think there will come a time when it is necessary. Thanks for your suggestion.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 1:04 PM
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