Dans ce document, le genre féminin est utilisé comme générique, dans le seul but de ne pas alourdir le texte.
I’m a Teacher, a Scholar, a Researcher
Teachers, scholars, researchers, and professionals in academia deal with many pressures that affect their productivity, well-being, and career growth. Universities and colleges expect them to be versatile, delivering top-notch performance in various areas while constantly updating their skills to match job market demands and new educational trends. These high expectations highlight the crucial role they play in shaping future generations. Even the most experienced professionals can benefit from support in navigating the demands of this challenging environment.
Challenge: Internal and External pressures to Perform and Publish
• My last article got rejected because I failed to show how significant my topic is. I doubt I have what it takes to publish in peer-reviewed journals. Good research takes time, and the university only cares about numbers and grant dollars.
• My book chapter is due next month, but I won’t meet this deadline because I have too much teaching tasks to accomplish and I need to go to an important conference. I don’t understand how some of my peers produce so much in such little time.
• I’m outraged by the chair’s recommendations. The publishing expectations are too high. And the number of faculty meetings is draining. No wonder I don’t have time to write. All I hear in the department is about numbers – articles published, research grants, etc. This is scary to me and inhibiting.
• I can only publish 3 articles within the next 5 years. My colleagues do not appreciate the value of my work. Anyway, I work more than all of them. There’s no one here I can talk to in my area of research. Many of my peers seem over-competitive and only want to brag about their productivity and important connections.
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Challenge: Achieving Work-Life Balance
• Service, committees, grading papers, and dealing with students take up so much of my time that I have no time to do anything else. The expectations about service are unrealistic. I’m exhausted at night and just sit in front of the TV.
• I’m very careful about everything I do and don’t skimp. My work is good, but I have too many responsibilities and end up working all the time without satisfactory research.
• The senior members of the faculty don’t remember what it’s like in the earlier stages of a career. They seem to enjoy meetings and debates no matter how much time they take. I’m even expected to go to lectures and recruiting events in the evening.
• I don’t seem to have a life outside of my academic responsibilities, and my relationships suffer. My colleagues seem to have time for their kids, hobbies, music, church, etc., but I don’t know how.
Challenge: Meet Research Responsibilities
• The standards in my field are higher than some others and it’s very hard to publish. I’m competing with the best in a tough field while many of my colleagues work on lightweight topics.
• I don’t seem to make the progress I need because of other responsibilities. It’s impossible with all the interruptions, to find the stretches of time needed for concentration on research.
• In some fields it’s easier to publish and develop a long CV in a short time. There’s no recognition of this in the department or dean’s office. Travel funds are insufficient.
• Researchers in my field at other universities and at more advanced career stages seem to receive more institutional support and have more time to dedicate to their work. Their evaluations of my work are often excessively stringent.
Challenge: Meet Teaching Responsibilities
• I don’t just lecture off the cuff like some of my colleagues. Class preparation therefore takes a lot of time for me.
• I’m not a natural performer and have difficulty reaching students, who are often indifferent to my field.
• Our classes are too large and yet we’re expected to give many written assignments and meet with students. We are evaluated on things like this and not whether students master the subject. The university has classes on effective teaching, but I don’t have time for these and feel embarrassed to attend them.
• My colleagues don’t seem to appreciate the care I put into teaching. The department seems to appreciate faculty who clown around in class and keep students entertained rather than learning serious stuff. No wonder they get better evaluations. The administration seems to want me to recruit majors rather than teach a subject.
Challenge: Internal and External pressures to Perform and Publish
• My last article got rejected because I failed to show how significant my topic is. I doubt I have what it takes to publish in peer-reviewed journals. Good research takes time, and the university only cares about numbers and grant dollars.
• My book chapter is due next month, but I won’t meet this deadline because I have too much teaching tasks to accomplish and I need to go to an important conference. I don’t understand how some of my peers produce so much in such little time.
• I’m outraged by the chair’s recommendations. The publishing expectations are too high. And the number of faculty meetings is draining. No wonder I don’t have time to write. All I hear in the department is about numbers – articles published, research grants, etc. This is scary to me and inhibiting.
• I can only publish 3 articles within the next 5 years. My colleagues do not appreciate the value of my work. Anyway, I work more than all of them. There’s no one here I can talk to in my area of research. Many of my peers seem over-competitive and only want to brag about their productivity and important connections.
Challenge: Navigating Institutional Politics
• I’m a scholar and researcher and am not interested in university politics. I don’t know how my colleagues have time for this garbage.
• I’m an idealist and have no patience for the compromises and debates surrounding university policies. I’ve never succeeded in being elected as a board member. Nobody seems willing to hear the whole truth or understand what the real battles are here.
• The university is now run like a business. There’s no interest in real academics anymore, just pleasing alums and politicians.
• It is clear to me that I don’t speak the same language as the department chair, the dean’s office, and on up the line. They are focused on matters which don’t seem to me central to the academic enterprise.
Challenge: Academic Isolation
• There’s no one else in my immediate field at the university, and I have trouble talking to anyone about my interests. My real colleagues are at other institutions, and I feel alone in my current job. The department isn’t very friendly.
• I had more friends in graduate school and earlier in my career. Every year I’m more isolated. It’s hard for me to make real friends, especially with people I’m competing against for resources.
• The office talks about support but really doesn’t do anything that I really need, like a reduced teaching load and summer support. It talks about collegiality but doesn’t do anything to foster it. It’s just so frustrating!
• It is dog-eat-dog. It’s not good for relationships when you see your colleagues and friends moving ahead while you appear to be spinning your wheels.
Challenge: Keeping Up with Technological Advancements
• The university should provide more IT technicians to help me in my office or lab. If I have a problem, I have to wait forever to get help. When I face a technical issue, I need to fix it right away. I can’t wait; I have more important things to do.
• During my graduate studies, I thought I was technologically savvy. But it's hard to keep up. Social media promotion isn’t my thing. I’m not that narcissistic. My work speaks for itself; it’s my reputation.
• My institution offers technical training, but I don’t have the time, and the courses are for beginners. Plus, the management software used by the university is complicated. I always need technical help every semester to handle it. Also, it embarrasses me to ask my colleagues about technical problems I can’t solve on my own.
My coaching services help you handle complex and changing situations, building your adaptability and resilience. Together, we will ensure you come out stronger and ready to thrive in today’s educational landscape and beyond. By focusing on your unique capabilities and strengths, I aim to help you:
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Set and achieve your goals, ensuring you meet the demands of your role, overcome obstacles, and optimize your performance.
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Determine your self-motivation, plan strategies, and execute tasks aligning with your workplace objectives.
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Raise awareness about your competencies, capabilities, and capacities, helping you understand and leverage your strengths more effectively.
As your coach, I will help you identify and address the barriers that hinder your progress. These barriers can be complex and varied, often involving factors such as attitude (ego), aptitude (action), system (institutional rules, expectations), and relationships (connections, collaboration, trust).