First, let me explain the byzantine textbook ordering system we have at my Kollege. We give our Administrative Assistant our order months before the term. We can't order a different text unless we have used the old one for 2 years. The administrative assistant then checks to see if it is too expensive for our students and if it is a good book.We are supposed to get an Instructor's copy that the Assistant orders when they put in the textbook order. I have yet to get a copy.
The bookstore won't give me a copy. The administrative assistant must give me one.
One administrative assistant is on vacation for two weeks. The other is a student filling in for the Super Great Assistant who made the trains run on time but who left at the end of Spring. Student doesn't know how to do anything, and doesn't even have an official email.
So, I was told they are too busy to go to the bookstore to get me a copy, and can't order me one for a week.
That's right. I am teaching a course and no one will give me an Instructor's copy of the text book.
My option is to buy a copy myself, I guess. And a chair.
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ReplyDeleteIf you really don't have any choice but to buy a copy yourself, be sure to save your receipt. When your Admin Assistant returns from vacation, smile nicely, say "please," and try to get reimbursed from petty cash, if your department has any. Hold off on also buying a chair, for now: you don't want to push your luck.
ReplyDeleteSo does this also mean that you had to choose the book without seeing it? Can you contact the publisher to get a desk copy?
ReplyDeleteAs Roberto suggested, you should be able to get a free instructor's copy directly from the publisher. If you contact the book rep for that company for your school and explain the situation, he/she will probably get you one right away.
ReplyDeleteThirded. I used to get requests from reps like this all the time, for instructors in similar situations. As an editor, I always had access to a few on the corridor bookshelves.
DeleteWait...the administrative assistant gets to decide whether it's a "good book"? Wow. Just...wow.
ReplyDeleteYeah -- that struck me, too. At my old Uni, our AdmAsst would interrogate us over book purchases that didn't explicitly name our area of research in the title.
DeleteSo you won't read the book. You'll be just like your students.
ReplyDeleteYeah... If admin isn't bothered that they have not helped you prep for the term, why should you? Just make alternative assignments or just make the students read without you knowing what's in the book for a week or two.
DeleteA comment from Kunstnick:
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, my Mac won't let me post in comments via Blogger via Firefox browser.
Just to let people know that I, indeed, marched back to my office, and contacted book rep and ordered book. Took me 5 minutes. If I don't get it in time, then the book becomes *optional*. Someone else chose it. So, yeah, blind pick. Don't like textbooks. But we need a text as our program grows and others teach, who like textbooks.
Not sure what Admin Assistant was so busy doing, but suffice it to say, it took her one solid year to order and have put up a bulletin board for my program.
We don't have petty cash. Or Professional Development money. Any research materials (books, films, etc) come out of my wallet, which hasn't seen a raise for 5 years.
Believe me, this is all tip of the iceberg. Or rather, symbolic. More details would *out * me, although I doubt anyone I work with knows this site.
Still sitting in broken chair. I was told again that there was no way they would order me a new chair, but I was welcome to go to surplus to see if there was an old chair.
I got a great chair from surplus... it was in perfect condition... because it was 'surplus' from the admin building during the last refurbishment when they got all matching new furniture in the school's colours, and got rid of everything in the 'wrong' colours. This means I have a great (black) desk chair and a (grey) visitor chair with no tears, working adjustors, everything!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's wrong that we get admin's throwouts, but my chair works!