Saturday, February 18, 2012

First Paragraph

My interest in university teaching was initially aroused by the leisure it promised. "Every century has its cushy profession," the English poet Philip Larkin said. "It used to be the church. Now it's academe." Larkin was right. Do the math: assuming one does not teach in the summer - and the vast majority of professors do not - college teaching is roughly a six-or seven-month job, and during those months one generally goes into the office two or three days a week. Not bad, not bad at all.

- From Goodbye, Mr. Chipstein by Joseph Epstein

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