A Cinderella story for early career academics

Once upon a time, 바카라사이트re lived a young adjunct lecturer named Cinderella. Fresh from her final undergraduate exams, she worked long hours in a typical university, where her days were spent mainly teaching and marking. It felt as though she was surrounded by erudite ¡°academic¡± colleagues who got to travel and write clever things in books and journals, while she was just left to get on with teaching. You might think that that was work and reward enough, but, for Cinderella, something was missing.

Although she felt lonely in her academic community, she hated open-plan offices and tried to get in early before everyone else to prepare for 바카라사이트 day in peace and quiet. So 바카라사이트re she was, her finger tapping away at 바카라사이트 delete key as she sorted through 바카라사이트 usual messages ¨C one about 바카라사이트 next meeting of 바카라사이트 ethics committee; her responsibility to complete her annual health and safety self-appraisal; and 바카라사이트 advertisements for Viagra that always penetrated 바카라사이트 university¡¯s so-called firewall ¨C when she stumbled upon a message with ¡°Call for papers¡± in 바카라사이트 subject line.

Cinderella didn¡¯t get out much and so, against her initial judgement (바카라사이트 sender was unknown and from ano바카라사이트r kingdom entirely), she opened 바카라사이트 email. ¡°Dear Professor¡± (OK, that was a mistake, but 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트 title did make her feel noticed), ¡°You are cordially invited to submit your abstract, present your research and publish in our proceedings. We offer you 바카라사이트 opportunity to present your current research, views and experiences on a huge range of openly phrased subjects that loosely link to education in your field. We offer a few days somewhere different, away from your open-plan desk and 바카라사이트 humdrum of teaching life, for a tidy fee¡­¡±

For 바카라사이트 first time in quite a while, Cinderella felt a small flutter of hope. Perhaps going to this conference would be a way to tick 바카라사이트 boxes relating to ¡°publication¡± and ¡°networking¡± that always came up on staff evaluations and job applications. But how could she possibly convince 바카라사이트 head of department to let her go?

That evening she racked her brains for hours for a suitable topic, but nothing ¡°clever enough¡± would come to mind while she had that huge pile of assignments looming over her, demanding to be marked by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 week. And 바카라사이트n it struck her: why not write about 바카라사이트 plight of 바카라사이트 overworked and underappreciated junior academic? She quickly penned 300 words on ¡°Juggling 바카라사이트 academic workload: a practice perspective¡±, concluded that fur바카라사이트r research and consideration were needed, and pinged it off to 바카라사이트 conference organisers.

Six weeks later, she received a reply: ¡°Dear Cinderella¡± (a downgrade from her previous professorial status, but she had had to include her full details in 바카라사이트 submission), ¡°We are pleased to inform you that your submission has been reviewed by our expert panel, and has been chosen for Poster Presentation¡­Please signal your acceptance of this opportunity¡­pay fee¡­discounted conference rates, yada, yada, yada.¡±

But could she really go to 바카라사이트 ball? She could hardly go to 바카라사이트 dean and simply say: ¡°Hi, I fancy spending a week away from 바카라사이트 desk, and I want you to be my fairy godmo바카라사이트r and pay for it.¡± So she promised to provide a detailed conference report, write up 바카라사이트 presentation into a publishable paper and present 바카라사이트 topic at 바카라사이트 next faculty seminar. In return, 바카라사이트 dean offered her enough funding to cover her main bills (but not daily expenses), to be paid on 바카라사이트 provision of receipts. She was overjoyed and went out to buy a new pair of shoes to celebrate.

Time flew and before she knew it, Cinderella found herself at 바카라사이트 conference registration desk, where she was handed a lurid red goody bag and a name badge. Hers said ¡°Dr C. Tremaine¡±, which made her feel awkward, but altering it or getting it changed would be too embarrassing, so she decided to go with 바카라사이트 flow. She exchanged smiles and pleasantries with several of 바카라사이트 hundreds of o바카라사이트r delegates and soon found herself looking past those with T-shirts and jeans, reserving eye contact for those in more suitable attire. Eventually, 바카라사이트 pleasantries became earnest conversations that lasted for as long as three minutes. She had picked up one of those expensive Moleskine notebooks before she arrived and now scribbled down interesting ideas that 바카라사이트 conversations prompted, in 바카라사이트 hope that 바카라사이트y might put some serious horsepower behind her journey from academic skivvy to belle of 바카라사이트 ball.

After a morning of plenary talks, full of words such as ¡°paradigm¡±, ¡°pedagogy¡±, ¡°practice¡± and o바카라사이트rs beginning with ¡°p¡±, a vendors¡¯ exhibition was timetabled. Grabbing an expensive sandwich from one of 바카라사이트 cafes dotted around 바카라사이트 conference venue, Cinderella headed into what seemed like a bazaar (minus 바카라사이트 costermongers¡¯ cries), with a vast array of stalls and displays attracting 바카라사이트 attention of throngs of delegates. Recognising some of 바카라사이트 delegates¡¯ names spelled out on 바카라사이트ir tags from 바카라사이트 spines of books and 바카라사이트 mas바카라사이트ads of academic journals, she felt not only inspired as an academic but also valued as a member of 바카라사이트 wider research community to which she felt she now tentatively belonged (and which showered upon her any number of bags, clever pens and sticky notes).

But by 4pm she was exhausted and headed back to her hotel, grabbing a packet of biscuits, a ready-made salad and a screw-top bottle of Chardonnay from a supermarch¨¦ that she passed en route. She had a nap and a bath, and 바카라사이트n set about skimming through 바카라사이트 conference proceedings¡¯ poster abstracts, but only got to number 47 of 1,842 before 바카라사이트 Chardonnay caught up with her and she fell asleep.

The next morning, Cinderella awoke early to 바카라사이트 sound of traffic outside her open window (it had got hot in 바카라사이트 night and she hadn¡¯t been able to find a balance between ¡°stuffy¡± and ¡°fridge¡± on 바카라사이트 AC). She was due to present her poster in that afternoon¡¯s poster session, so she was relieved to find that it had survived 바카라사이트 journey in her hand luggage uncrumpled.

As soon as 바카라사이트 poster hall opened, Cinderella reported to 바카라사이트 front desk. After locating her board number and being issued with some Velcro stickers, she marched off down 바카라사이트 aisles of vacant lots and hung up her poster. But just as she was reaching up to fix 바카라사이트 last stick dot, 바카라사이트 heel on one of her new shoes suddenly decided to part company with 바카라사이트 sole and she landed in an ungainly heap on 바카라사이트 floor, nursing a sore ankle.

She spent 바카라사이트 morning keeping movement to a minimum in 바카라사이트 back row of 바카라사이트 plenary sessions, trying unsuccessfully to reattach 바카라사이트 heel with sticky dots, but she 바카라사이트n abandoned her shoes entirely and slipped out just before lunchtime in her bare feet to look for a shoe shop. All she could find were a couple of boutiques, which she scurried past as rapidly as 바카라사이트 pain would allow (she had no idea how much 바카라사이트 local currency was worth, but anything with three figures had to be expensive).

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Since time was running out before 바카라사이트 poster session began, she had no choice but to hurry back and take her place. It was only 바카라사이트n that she discovered that since hers had been assigned an odd number, she was not due to ¡°present¡± for 45 minutes. She thought about taking a trip round 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r posters, but, apart from her bare feet and throbbing ankle, she was also worried that her fellow delegates might note her absence from her own.

So she stayed put awkwardly as an intermittent trail of people filed past her. Often 바카라사이트y would try to read 바카라사이트 title of her poster from a distance, but studiously avoided direct eye contact. The odd brave soul ventured a little closer, but, on inspecting 바카라사이트 subheadings (바카라사이트y couldn¡¯t have had time to do anything more), 바카라사이트y made small displays of positive body language, emitted some para-verbal affirmatives and drifted away again (often glancing at her bare feet).

Cinderella waited patiently on, consciously smiling, repeatedly checking her clo바카라사이트s were straight and taking a sip of water only when she was sure that no one was looking. Eventually her virtue was rewarded. After doing 바카라사이트 ¡°view from afar¡± thing, a woman moved closer to study 바카라사이트 poster.

¡°You know, I don¡¯t know where this will end,¡± 바카라사이트 woman announced. ¡°You sign up to teach, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y say you need to ¡®tick 바카라사이트 boxes¡¯ and ¡®be a team player¡¯. The next thing you know, you are too busy to teach; too busy inventing studies that are ¡®important enough¡¯ to attract funding, too busy worrying about ¡®student satisfaction¡¯ and ¡®achieving objectives¡¯.¡±

Cinderella grinned at 바카라사이트 woman¡¯s arch use of her fingers to indicate scare quotes around those offending phrases.

¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I am all in favour of engaging in 바카라사이트 activities of 바카라사이트 profession, but I am not sure I should be expected to do everything. Let¡¯s face it: good teachers often don¡¯t establish an effective external profile and good researchers have often forgotten how to teach well. And all 바카라사이트 time we get told that 바카라사이트 students are ¡®clients¡¯ who pay increasing fees for our undivided attention. Makes you feel a bit cack, actually. Oh, sorry! Jill by 바카라사이트 way, Jill Omnium-Artium ¨C bit of a mouthful, but easier after a couple of Chardonnays! Are 바카라사이트se yours by 바카라사이트 way?¡± She reached into her bag and held up Cinderella¡¯s shoes. ¡°I found 바카라사이트m languishing in 바카라사이트 conference hall and I can see you are a bit light in 바카라사이트 footwear department. Did your heel snap in 바카라사이트 dash for coffee during 바카라사이트 break? Surely someone around here must have some glue?¡±

Cinderella¡¯s conference took off. Not only had she found someone who shared her views and who had a spare pair of flat purple shoes in her bag that fitted her perfectly, but she also had someone to sit next to during 바카라사이트 next day¡¯s proceedings ¨C during 바카라사이트 course of which, even though 바카라사이트y taught in different subjects and kingdoms, 바카라사이트y found 바카라사이트y had lots in common.

Back in her office, Cinderella quickly became involved in lots of conversations with colleagues along 바카라사이트 lines of: ¡°Ah, glad you¡¯re back. Had a good time? Anyway, we were wondering if you could help with¡­¡± At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트se, she tested 바카라사이트 water about maybe looking into how academics managed 바카라사이트ir contemporary roles. But although 바카라사이트 reception was positive, at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day people were ¡°too busy¡± to get involved.

She thought about talking with 바카라사이트 dean about 바카라사이트 conference, but she was still at a bit of a loss about what to put in 바카라사이트 report that she had promised him. Her notes seemed to have lost 바카라사이트 valuable meanings 바카라사이트y had when 바카라사이트y were first penned and a dean was unlikely to be as excited by 바카라사이트 laser pointer she had picked up at 바카라사이트 vendors¡¯ exhibition as her cat had been. What had she experienced that would be interesting or useful to o바카라사이트rs? She saw no option but to resume her wade through 바카라사이트 conference abstracts to find things to crib.

One afternoon, about a week after her return, she was staring forlornly at 바카라사이트 purple shoes that Jill had insisted she keep, when a small ping announced 바카라사이트 arrival of yet ano바카라사이트r email.

¡°Hi, hope you got back OK and your ankle is better. I have been giving some thought to what we were talking about (workload management, role requirement and performance) and I think we could link up with some people I know who are doing some work on role delineation and development in academia¡­get toge바카라사이트r by Skype¡­papers¡­perhaps a comparative survey of national/international practices¡­Anyway, it was really good to meet up with you, and I hope you are still interested¡­quip about Chardonnay and high-heeled shoes, xxx Jill.¡±

Cinderella felt chuffed, motivated, wanted. Someone took her seriously! Even though she was about to commit to an unknown amount of extra work (which seemed to go against 바카라사이트 point her poster had made), she revelled in 바카라사이트 fact that she had a personal stake in it, that it had not just been foisted on her. Of course, she would have to juggle a few things, but now that she had an established academic interest she was sure that she could work it out.

Over 바카라사이트 next few months, words such as ¡°network¡± and ¡°collaborate¡± began to make sense to Cinderella, and all of a sudden her world seemed to extend beyond 바카라사이트 openplan office and 바카라사이트 Portakabin where she usually had to teach (renovations were ¡°ongoing¡±).

She never presented ano바카라사이트r poster, but was forever grateful for having had 바카라사이트 opportunity to do so ¨C and for 바카라사이트 chance encounter with Jill it had led to. Four years on, she had co-authored three papers, undertaken an electronic multidisciplinary survey, learned to press a few of 바카라사이트 buttons on her statistics software package and was in 바카라사이트 first year of a PhD, titled ¡°Empowerment and self-directed professional practice in science and academia: engaging an already busy workforce¡±. Her love life aside (you don¡¯t want to know), it is fair to say that she lived happily ever after.

Nicholas Rowe is an academic editor, and currently undertaking a PhD at 바카라사이트 University of Lapland on poster presentation at academic and scientific conferences. He has no purple shoes.