Thread Drift

[Crankin]

I posted my resume on the university career services site; yesterday I got a call from one of the counselors to tell me I had a few little edits to make. There were 2 or 3 little spacing/punctuation things (embarrassing for a former English teacher, but nothing), but then she told me I needed to change my job experience from "inclusion specialist with middle school special needs children" to "inclusion specialist with middle school children with special needs." I "must change to person centered language." I think this is PC gone amok. I mean, this is a small private university that is known mostly as a teacher education school. If they have looked in the newspaper lately, they would see a lot of ads for special needs teachers... I almost said, gee, in other states they still say "special ed," not special needs. I did tell her I would change it, but that I thought it was silly, since no schools use that language. I'm a liberal Democrat, but geez, I felt like telling this person she needed to get out of Cambridge.
And then, she questioned my master's degree from ASU. She said, "I think you mean you have a Master's in Education (M, Ed), or a MS in Education. You couldn't possibly have a MA in Education."
My response was, "I am looking at my diploma right now and I definitely have a Master of Arts in Education. They might do things differently in other places..." To which she replied, "Well, I guess you know best."
She probably thinks I am some crazy birther, anti-immigrant Arizonan, but I was really pissed.

[kelownagirl]

I posted my resume on the university career services site; yesterday I got a call from one of the counselors to tell me I had a few little edits to make. There were 2 or 3 little spacing/punctuation things (embarrassing for a former English teacher, but nothing), but then she told me I needed to change my job experience from "inclusion specialist with middle school special needs children" to "inclusion specialist with middle school children with special needs." I "must change to person centered language." I think this is PC gone amok. I mean, this is a small private university that is known mostly as a teacher education school. If they have looked in the newspaper lately, they would see a lot of ads for special needs teachers... I almost said, gee, in other states they still say "special ed," not special needs. I did tell her I would change it, but that I thought it was silly, since no schools use that language. I'm a liberal Democrat, but geez, I felt like telling this person she needed to get out of Cambridge.
And then, she questioned my master's degree from ASU. She said, "I think you mean you have a Master's in Education (M, Ed), or a MS in Education. You couldn't possibly have a MA in Education."
My response was, "I am looking at my diploma right now and I definitely have a Master of Arts in Education. They might do things differently in other places..." To which she replied, "Well, I guess you know best."
She probably thinks I am some crazy birther, anti-immigrant Arizonan, but I was really pissed.

She's nuts.

I have an MA in Ed if that's any help...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sounds like she needs a new hobby.

[Crankin]

OK, just checking to make sure it's not me.
DH helped me craft a letter to the dean of the Career Services office. I only addressed the degree issue, not the language issue... I was afraid I might get "sent to the dept. head." No joke, this happened to one of my friends who gave an opinion that is different from the majority. She almost got put on probation!!!
Here's a copy of my e-mail.

I am a student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's program and I had a most unsettling phone conversation with one of the career counselors yesterday. She called me to go over a few errors on my resume, which is appreciated; however, at the end of our conversation one question gave me cause for concern. The counselor doubted the fact that I have a Master of Arts in Education degree from Arizona State University. She was entirely convinced and repeatedly insisted that it is not possible to get a Master of Arts in Education, because at Lesley (and perhaps in Massachusetts in general) one would receive an M., ED or an MS. When I replied that yes, it's an MA in Ed., she continued to suggest that I must be incorrect. Finally, the only way I could convince her, was to state that I was looking directly at my diploma, to which she replied, "Well, I guess you know best," in a condescending tone.

As a native New Englander, who has lived in two other parts of the country for over half of my adult life, I feel this reinforces the underlying prejudice where New Englanders consider themselves to be at the center of the universe. Both of my degrees from Arizona State University have provided me a life time of value.

I make you aware of this, as I am sure others would feel the same as I do, under the same circumstances. I do not take issue with her concern over a mistake; however, the value of her assistance is diminished through the use of a condescending tone.

Sincerely,

[bmccasland]

As a native New Englander, who has lived in two other parts of the country for over half of my adult life, I feel this reinforces the underlying prejudice where New Englanders consider themselves to be at the center of the universe.

Might I suggest replacing, or rewording the last sentence of this paragraph? Maybe not "center of the universe" but perhaps to "superior to others".
But then I've never lived in New England. On the other hand, I've gotten the same impression from people who are privately educated, compared to us lower life forms that received a fine education from the various public school systems.

BS - University of Arizona

[Crankin]

Too late; it's already sent. And yes, this is an expression that comes from Boston being referred to as "the Hub of the Universe," which was written by Oliver Wendell Holmes in the 19th century when he referred to the MA State House as the "Hub of the Solar System." It's a commonly used expression around here.
Beth, you just about said it all. I am pissed. This is why people think my son is a moron because he graduated *** laude from U Mass Amherst. This state gives no resources to its public universities because of the lobbying efforts of the private ones. While I think I got the very best education in my field, in a program that was suited to me, this irks me so much. Lesley thinks it is so open and committed to diversity... but they don't understand that diversity includes more than just skin color or ethnicity.

[Pax]

Gotta love Massachusetts, I'm a native born Cape Codder, when I'm home and that fact is discovered in the course of conversation, I am treated 180 degrees differently than when they thought I was an outsider. Very weird.

[Crankin]

Pax, your story reminds me of the day one of the male teachers stopped me in the school parking lot, at my last job. He asked me how I got the 5 digit license plate that around here indicates you have lived here a very long time, and is even considered a vanity plate (I actually have to pay extra for this, lest people believe I'm a blow-in), since he knew I had moved here several years ago from AZ. I spun around and something like "that plate has been in my family since 1932 and my grandfather left it to me in his will." This was actually true; it was my dad's father's plate, who gave it to my dad, who then gave it to my mom. When we moved away, she gave it to her dad, who willed it to me. It's such a Massachusetts story . Let's just say that townie azzhole never looked me in the face again.

[Pax]

Crankin - that is excellent!!

My dad was a Southie and was bound and determined my brother and I wouldn't have that accent... we got speech training so we wouldn't walk around saying things like "oh, yea he's wicked smaht".

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

*** laude

lol!

[Crankin]

Yea, I noticed that one... I should have typed "honors," but I didn't think of it.

[Catrin]

Gotta love Massachusetts, I'm a native born Cape Codder, when I'm home and that fact is discovered in the course of conversation, I am treated 180 degrees differently than when they thought I was an outsider. Very weird.

This also happens in small Southern towns - at least it did when I grew up in the South and suspect it still is this way in many places. There is something very...human about this.

[Pax]

This also happens in small Southern towns - at least it did when I grew up in the South and suspect it still is this way in many places. There is something very...human about this.

It's really odd for me because although I was born on the Cape, I was raised military and lived all over the world. The only place that feels like home to me other than here in Illinois, is Aviano Italy. We moved so often there was no sense of "belonging" anywhere, the human factor of that is something I'm just starting to feel in my adopted home in IL, it's pretty cool.

[snapdragen]

lol!

Glad someone else caught that Sometimes the auto censor is a bit of a prude, eh?

[crazycanuck]

Can someone please assist meeeeeeee...If you're familiar with the Chicago referencing system, you may be able to help w this question. (The uni library help is only m-f....)

I want to reference a sentence from http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-01.htm

Would this be considered a conference proceeding or a document from the www......

Ta