Quite a picture you paint there. Interesting that you mention students demanding a reduction in fees, as that is what my daughter is going through right now in London, though no one in a situation to help or advise is listening. Most of the students for her Master’s Degree course are foreign – China mainly – and pay huge fees, and they are indicating they will return in a year or two. That means the universities have to squeeze as much money as they can out of the Home students, while threatening them by suggesting if they take a year out, there might not be a position for them to return to. The affects of this virus are indeed wide spread.
That is distressing. Schools are encumbered by clumsy and inefficient rules for financial distribution.
I wonder what kind of money could be saved through an honest streamlining of the system. The whole thing could take on a Socratic simplicity. All we need are teachers, students, and some basic tech. That doesn’t cost that much. It’s a bloated administration that’s the problem, but they’ll fire teachers before they look in the mirror. This crisis is exposing the dirt in every system.
Financial challenges seem everywhere, tuition and medical seem the worst. Both systems could use some better management. I worked in both and know that there is much more waste than many industries. Schools seem to be the worst when it comes to spending a dollar to save a penny.
I wish you the best of success in this trying time as you venture into new territory at home and in the classroom. Hopefully as the year progresses students and teachers can meet in person. Even if all wear masks it seem a good way to better know each other.
I took many remote courses over the years and only met my Professors once or twice during the year. Those brief interludes meant more than all the email, all the phone calls, and all the video.
The Untimely Typewriter:Daily Writings Against the Tides of Distraction 
Quite a picture you paint there. Interesting that you mention students demanding a reduction in fees, as that is what my daughter is going through right now in London, though no one in a situation to help or advise is listening. Most of the students for her Master’s Degree course are foreign – China mainly – and pay huge fees, and they are indicating they will return in a year or two. That means the universities have to squeeze as much money as they can out of the Home students, while threatening them by suggesting if they take a year out, there might not be a position for them to return to. The affects of this virus are indeed wide spread.
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That is distressing. Schools are encumbered by clumsy and inefficient rules for financial distribution.
I wonder what kind of money could be saved through an honest streamlining of the system. The whole thing could take on a Socratic simplicity. All we need are teachers, students, and some basic tech. That doesn’t cost that much. It’s a bloated administration that’s the problem, but they’ll fire teachers before they look in the mirror. This crisis is exposing the dirt in every system.
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Xavier starts tomorrow, too. I am glad I’m not teaching—I’m part of the administrative bloat, for the time being! Good luck.
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Financial challenges seem everywhere, tuition and medical seem the worst. Both systems could use some better management. I worked in both and know that there is much more waste than many industries. Schools seem to be the worst when it comes to spending a dollar to save a penny.
I wish you the best of success in this trying time as you venture into new territory at home and in the classroom. Hopefully as the year progresses students and teachers can meet in person. Even if all wear masks it seem a good way to better know each other.
I took many remote courses over the years and only met my Professors once or twice during the year. Those brief interludes meant more than all the email, all the phone calls, and all the video.
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I look forward to the day when we can teach in person again. I use live Zoom meetings for class, but even those fall short of the real experience.
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