With my tan wearing off and sleep pattern returning to normal, I wanted to submit the final post of my, ahem, May guest stint. About a year ago today, I was looking forward to attending the AALS Workshop for New Law School Teachers and the AALS Workshop for Pretenured People of Color Law School Teachers. Having now completed my first year of tenure-track law teaching, I thought I would share some observations that those on the verge of their first year may want to consider.
1. You are not alone. This is a genuine statement of fact, not a reference to Michael Jackson’s hit single. My family came to the United States with $8 — none of my immediate or extended family went to law school, and thus my existing network of lawyers, let alone law faculty, was extremely limited. Initially, the process of becoming a law professor — from preparing the FAR form to selecting my “dance card” for the “meat market” — seemed like a rather solitary adventure. I thought I may be at a disadvantage, as others may have access to significant support and coaching. Soon, I realized that there were many established law professors who were eager and willing to show me the ropes and guide me along the way. At the National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference, for example, I met two impressive law faculty who provided extensive help to me and who continue to serve as valuable mentors. The AALS conference for new faculty was another setting in which I met fantastic colleagues, particularly in my area of teaching, who were ready and delighted to lend a hand. My network, in other words, expanded considerably, and my confidence in succeeding increased as well. Feel free to utilize the experience and generosity of these wonderful faculty members — to the extent I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. I have received a number of emails from new and prospective law faculty because of my participation on this web site, and would be happy to meet (and hopefully help) others as well.
2. Computers. One of the classroom issues that faculty have to deal with is whether to permit the use of laptops. There is no shortage of views on this subject, and new faculty will likely hear a few of these perspectives at the AALS conference. A colleague that I admire and respect a great deal bans the use of laptops, not because of possible Facebook use or similarly unrelated use, but because of a concern that students with laptops will merely transcribe what he is saying, as opposed to absorbing and reflecting upon what is being said in class. I personally allow students to use laptops, but make it plain in the syllabus and on the first day of classes that any laptop use that I find to be disruptive is deemed to be a breach of the duty of civility students owe to each other and to the professor, and thus can result in the loss of laptop use privileges. 3. Syllabus. Perhaps one of the most important things to spend time on prior to the start of the semester is refining the syllabus, and in particular developing a sensible structure to the course, identifying some themes for the course, breaking up the readings so that no one class session has too much reading (what is “too much” obviously amounts to a subjective judgment call), and having the schedule “fit” around the law school’s academic calendar (e.g., fall break, spring break, holidays). How to assess student performance is also a huge issue. In my large doctrinal classes (constitutional law), I measure student performance using several factors. At the end of each class, I ask a group of three students to respond to a question related to the course material; by the start of the next class session, the group is to submit an essay (of no more than three pages) resolving that question (concurrences and dissents are permitted); the group is to present that essay in class, and the non-presenting students and I can ask questions, like an oral argument; after class, I post the essay on TWEN to facilitate and allow for further class discussion on the topic. The group assignments allow students to work together and collaborate in a substantive fashion, break up the monotony of the class period, enable students to take ownership over some aspect of the material, and to develop their skills in oral and written advocacy. I came across this quote — on my Facebook feed no less — which is attributed to Ben Franklin: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Students seem to learn, and maybe even have a little fun, while engaging in these group projects. Accordingly, for my con law classes, student performance is assessed by way of in-class participation, on-line participation (the TWEN discussions centered around the group essays), the group essays themselves, and the final examination.
4. Reach out. A key to my first year has been getting to know and learning from the other pre-tenured faculty at my law school, who are among the most eager and willing to provide assistance and support to new, incoming faculty. They also possess a wealth of institutional knowledge on why things are the way they are, and why certain, seemingly minor issues may be proxies for other, long-standing issues. This background and context can be extremely helpful in ensuring that new faculty do not unwittingly join a faction or become embroiled in an entrenched, ongoing debate.
5. Just Do it. A persistent message of the AALS conference is “just say no.” In other words, new faculty shouldn’t feel shy about declining committee assignments or other tasks that may take them away from their core responsibilities. Admissions was one of the major committee assignment that we were advised to stay away from. Fast forward several months. My dean is sitting in my office, asking if I had interest in serving on admissions. Ignoring the advice I had received, I expressed my willingness to join the admissions committee. In all honesty, serving on admissions was very rewarding and fulfilling. It was, however, very, very, very time-consuming. I also founded and directed our law school’s chapter of the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy project. Again, more conservative voices may suggest to hold off on starting such initiatives, but it is something I wanted to do and thankfully my law school was nothing but supportive of the project. In short, don’t be too risk-averse. Make your mark early on!
6. Appreciate. At the AALS conference, attendees will likely hear over and over that this is the best job in the world. It is true. The opportunity to work with students, to help them along in their understanding of the law, and to give them the tools to be agents of social change is rewarding, fulfilling, and humbling. The opportunity to develop and share ideas about how the law and society can be improved also fosters a sense of purpose and excitement that I am not sure many other professions can match. The amazing thing is that we get paid to do that which is most satisfying and stimulating. Joubert said that, “To teach is to learn twice over.” To get paid to enhance the knowledge of others — and my own knowledge in the process — is simply remarkable.
7. Congratulations and Welcome! Almost a thousand individuals hoped to become tenure-track law professors this upcoming academic year. New faculty were selected out of these many, many applications because the appointments committees and the full faculties saw something special and unique about the hired faculty. They see scholarly promise, potential in the classroom, and the makings of a good friend and colleague. Don’t forget that you do have exceptional qualities that have been recognized and acknowledged. What is great is that, now, you will have the resources, support, and platform to flourish and become leaders in your law schools, communities, and society more broadly.
I hope these thoughts are of benefit or use to the reader. Thanks for letting me stay way past check-out.
Posted by Dawinder “Dave” S. Sidhu on June 13, 2012 at 05:01 PM
Comments
Hi Derek,
I have been wondering how big of a role the scholarly agenda plays in tenure review–whether it is nearly as big as in entry-level hiring. I also wonder how to deal with papers that are outside one’s core of research.
Thank you!
Posted by: Margaret Ryznar | Jun 18, 2012 1:53:55 PM
Professor Black,
I think there are two different things people can refer to when they say “scholarly agenda”: the first is the unifying concept(s) behind your research and writing, and the second is the written discussion of those ideas. Of course, questions about choosing current/future projects with an eye toward the bigger picture will be front and center, and those of us who are at the “getting started” stage will want to think through ideas about what a successful scholarly agenda looks like (maybe using the trajectories of the work of some more established scholars as examples). Those of us who are VAPs and fellows will be on the market this fall or next fall and will be interested in the latter as well as the former– how best to articulate in a written document where you’ve been, where you’re going, and why your work is exciting and relevant; whether and how to talk about methodology; how many future projects to outline and how to balance that against coverage of existing articles, etc.
It’s nice that you’re soliciting suggestions. I’m looking forward to the conference!
Posted by: ajr | Jun 16, 2012 2:09:35 PM
Dave, Thanks for creating the space here for the new professors. I am sure many are grateful. I hope you won’t mind me co-opting your post by asking new professors to comment on their expectations for the upcoming new professors conference. In particular, I am presenting on the panel titled “Getting Started with Your Scholarly Agenda.” I have already prepared an outline of my talk, but it now occurs to me that this is a good opportunity to solicit questions and concerns in advance so that I can incorporate those I might have overlooked or underappreciated.
Posted by: Derek Black | Jun 15, 2012 2:20:51 PM
Dave thank you so much for this post, and your generous and helpful advice throughout the entire AALS process. Margaret, see you at the AALS Workshop.
Posted by: Josh Blackman | Jun 14, 2012 1:30:19 AM
Thanks, this is very helpful–I’ve been thinking about some of the points you hit on for awhile, especially regarding the syllabus and computers. Really looking forward to the AALS Workshop for New Law School Teachers next week.
Posted by: Margaret Ryznar | Jun 13, 2012 11:39:12 PM
These are great ideas & thoughts for lawprofs of all ages!
Posted by: Joe Miller | Jun 13, 2012 5:33:42 PM