Angelique Bakker-Pieper
Mark Spiering
Angelique Bakker-Pieper’s (Work & Organizational Psychology) question
Dear Mark,
How is it to combine teaching and teaching related activities with your obligations as a member of the FMG works council?
Angelique
Mark Spiering’s (Clinical Psychology) answer
Hello Angelique,
Thanks for asking! I would say my situation is probably not as exciting as combining teaching students with teaching kids, as you do. I definitely enjoy teaching the most, and since I have fewer than 10 years to go (and a year passes before you know it), I should step down from this works council membership as soon as possible and focus more on teaching! These are my initial thoughts.
Let me say something about the works council first, and then I’ll talk about teaching. When the Psychology department had too little funding and our bachelor’s program was revised, I found it a difficult time. I realized how important it is to have union representation and strong employee participation. To be honest, in my first year on the works council, I didn’t like it that much. There were a lot of meetings about details, and sometimes we could only make minor changes to a policy, which then still wouldn’t be implemented properly. But after three years, I started to enjoy it more. You learn a lot about the faculty, much more than other colleagues do. It was also hard to find Psychology union members, so I decided to run for another term in the last election. However, this will be my last term, and I hope someone else will take over after me. On a positive note, I have also come to appreciate the Psychology department more now that I can compare it to other departments.
I can use my teaching experience in the works council, but unfortunately, the reverse isn’t true — the works council doesn’t really contribute to my teaching quality. As for teaching, I really think it’s a privilege to work with young adults. You learn a lot, you hear a lot of stories, it’s exciting, it’s fun. I love walking into an empty classroom, turning on the lights, and arranging the tables. I enjoy the rhythm; a course has a clear beginning and end, and so does the academic year. I’m not sure if this answers your question, but I just wanted to show my enthusiasm for teaching, which we both share — and fortunately, we share it with many colleagues. To conclude, the short answer is, I try to fulfill my obligations as a member of the works council as best I can, but the job pleasure I get from teaching.
Mark
Mark Spiering’s question is for Agneta Fischer (Social Psychology)
Hello Agneta,
Do you think all important gender differences in the sexual emotions are nurture?
Mark
Angelique Bakker-Pieper’s (Work & Organizational Psychology) question
Dear Mark,
How is it to combine teaching and teaching related activities with your obligations as a member of the FMG works council?
Angelique
Mark Spiering’s (Clinical Psychology) answer
Hello Angelique,
Thanks for asking! I would say my situation is probably not as exciting as combining teaching students with teaching kids, as you do. I definitely enjoy teaching the most, and since I have fewer than 10 years to go (and a year passes before you know it), I should step down from this works council membership as soon as possible and focus more on teaching! These are my initial thoughts.
Let me say something about the works council first, and then I’ll talk about teaching. When the Psychology department had too little funding and our bachelor’s program was revised, I found it a difficult time. I realized how important it is to have union representation and strong employee participation. To be honest, in my first year on the works council, I didn’t like it that much. There were a lot of meetings about details, and sometimes we could only make minor changes to a policy, which then still wouldn’t be implemented properly. But after three years, I started to enjoy it more. You learn a lot about the faculty, much more than other colleagues do. It was also hard to find Psychology union members, so I decided to run for another term in the last election. However, this will be my last term, and I hope someone else will take over after me. On a positive note, I have also come to appreciate the Psychology department more now that I can compare it to other departments.
I can use my teaching experience in the works council, but unfortunately, the reverse isn’t true — the works council doesn’t really contribute to my teaching quality. As for teaching, I really think it’s a privilege to work with young adults. You learn a lot, you hear a lot of stories, it’s exciting, it’s fun. I love walking into an empty classroom, turning on the lights, and arranging the tables. I enjoy the rhythm; a course has a clear beginning and end, and so does the academic year. I’m not sure if this answers your question, but I just wanted to show my enthusiasm for teaching, which we both share — and fortunately, we share it with many colleagues. To conclude, the short answer is, I try to fulfill my obligations as a member of the works council as best I can, but the job pleasure I get from teaching.
Mark
Mark Spiering’s question is for Agneta Fischer (Social Psychology)
Hello Agneta,
Do you think all important gender differences in the sexual emotions are nurture?
Mark
