I'm very late to commenting on this, but it took me a while to organize my thoughts because I hadn't heard about the 5-year term limit until I read this. In the K-12 education world we usually say that teachers don't really hit their stride until the 5-year mark. This doesn't mean that new teachers are bad, just that you get better with time and that experience on the job is an invaluable asset. When you remember that Jones lecturers teach 95% of undergrad courses, then realize that most of them will be relatively inexperienced as teachers in the near future, it really underscores how little Stanford cares about this program and its students.
Thank you, Austin. What a beautiful letter, and I love that passage from Stoner. It’s so clear how much you care about your program and your students, and I mourn the fact that you can’t remain at Stanford as a Jones Lecturer. Future students will miss out on your passion and kindness.
I'm very late to commenting on this, but it took me a while to organize my thoughts because I hadn't heard about the 5-year term limit until I read this. In the K-12 education world we usually say that teachers don't really hit their stride until the 5-year mark. This doesn't mean that new teachers are bad, just that you get better with time and that experience on the job is an invaluable asset. When you remember that Jones lecturers teach 95% of undergrad courses, then realize that most of them will be relatively inexperienced as teachers in the near future, it really underscores how little Stanford cares about this program and its students.
Thank you, Austin. What a beautiful letter, and I love that passage from Stoner. It’s so clear how much you care about your program and your students, and I mourn the fact that you can’t remain at Stanford as a Jones Lecturer. Future students will miss out on your passion and kindness.