Anyone that has or regularly interacts with children knows that as much as their ingenuity leads them to surprisingly accurate insights into the world around them, their novel way of thinking also results in conclusions which are…incorrect.
The kind of logic humanity has been practicing since the days of the old philosophers was designed around adults, so when children use it, it can lead to comical results. This episode of This American Life talks about the unique logic children operate by, and the humorous conclusions it leads them to.
This article addresses how to respond to the following “gotcha” questions interviewers use to weed out the excellent candidates from the good ones:
What is your biggest weakness?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
What are your salary requirements?
Why should we hire you?
Why do you want to work here?
Can you explain this gap in your work history?
Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Can you tell me about a time something didn’t go to plan?
Can you tell me about a time you’ve clashed with a supervisor?
This one, in contrast, details excellent questions you can ask your interviewer at the end, and what the interviewer’s answers can tell you. Remember, an interview is a two-way conversation…you don’t have to be left guessing! A few of the below questions might help you to figure out if the job is a good fit for you, and to look for red flags.
Why did you join the company?
How does this role further the company’s mission?
Tell me about your most successful employees. What do they do differently?
What do you expect someone in this position to accomplish in the first 60-90 days?
What, if anything, in my background gives you pause?
What is the turnover in your company, in the executive suite and in the department, I am interviewing for?
What are the opportunities for growth and advancement?
What haven’t I asked that most candidates ask?
What are the next steps in this process?
Many of us are facing employment insecurity right now, and the job market is tough. However, there are opportunities out there, and you can distinguish yourself from other candidates with smart questions and answers in an interview. You probably won’t use all of these every time…instead you can pick and choose depending on the job and how the interview has gone. Don’t be afraid to write some down in a notebook beforehand and take it in with you! Even if you are not currently job hunting, it may be worth your while to give the linked articles a read and keep what you learn in your back pocket. I believe in all of you.
This satirical piece calls attention to the ability of ignorance to infiltrate academia as well as the ability of bigotry to mask itself with “woke” language. Through a series of emails to an unnamed female, black professional, the sender, named only “Black Feminist Man,” reveals himself to be the very kind of bigot he claims to be against. It’s a quick read, but the issues it expresses linger like a bile in the back of the throat; they give voice to a frustration often felt in academic and professional circles which claim to be “progressive.” The piece poses the implicit question of whether or not renaming something is enough to change its nature.
This might pair nicely with this post and this post, which both also deal with the ability of words to shape our reality.
Crash Course is a YouTube channel that was created by The Fault in Our Stars author John Green and his brother, Hank. It features brief (10-20 minute) educational videos accompanied by animations, and has a number of playlists in all kinds of school subjects from physics to media literacy. I’ve linked the ones below which deal with subjects we learn about in Odyssey, but all of them provide relatively easy-to-understand (logically organized, but very fast), educational content accompanied by fun cartoons. While the information may be too fast-moving for very small children, anyone from middle-school to adulthood should be able to enjoy it. If you are interested in Crash Course videos for younger children, they also have a science channel aimed at that audience.
This crash course in literature begins with why we read, and then examines classics like Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby. Be warned, this series is a little spicier than the US History one (Green “swears” by saying the names of his favorite authors– Ex: “what the Fitzgerald?”).
Hank Green, who teaches this course, reminds me really strongly of Meghann, if you’re a current or post Odyssey student, you’ll know what I mean.
This crash course in U.S. history playlist has 48 videos, and starts in the 16th century with Native American history.
Now more than ever, our words shape our reality. While most of us are isolated in our homes, we are forced to tether our job, our relationships, and our futures with only what we can express through our voices and keyboards.
The idea that words shape our reality is not one new to the post COVID-19 world; it’s actually one of the tenements of structuralism, a literary movement that believes our language shapes our reality. You may recall a post a few weeks ago which discussed the hypothesis that renaming what was originally the “Negro Renaissance” into the “Harlem Renaissance” actually changed the trajectory of the movement. If you agree this theory is true, then you are expressing structuralist thinking. A non-structuralist, meanwhile, would say that the movement changed the name, rather than the name changing the movement.
The podcast “This American Life” discusses a wide range of current events and issues affecting American people. This episode struck me as particularly relevant, given our exaggerated reliance on typed and spoken word in these trying times. How much, I wonder, are words currently shaping the reality of COVID-19?
The podcast covers three acts. The Prologue asks why God needs us to praise Him (Her? It? Them?) verbally. In Act I, a woman recalls the day the way she read changed forever. In Act II, a man discusses trying to make his daughter fall in love with hip-hop. And, finally, in Act III, one of the show’s producers discusses the words from an encounter that keep coming back to him.
You can listen to the podcast here. It is a little under an hour long, the perfect length to listen to while you knead some bread or do some laundry.
For those of you that enjoy history, “In Our Time” is a podcast that shouldn’t be missed. It’s very fact-focused, and centers on Melvyn Bragg interviewing historical experts. I’ve linked the Neanderthal episode, but there are episodes on periods of time from prehistory to the near-present, and locations all across the world. All of the episodes are linked on the official BBC Podcast YouTube channel.
Those of you in Odyssey classes this semester know that we’ve been laser-focused in our examination of history, looking primarily at America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This podcast is a wonderful opportunity to listen to experts talk (and even argue!) about other areas of history. Bragg is wonderful because he’s wonderful at asking difficult followup questions about the information the experts present on the podcast, which leads to fascinating insights.
As someone who likes prehistory, I found this episode especially fascinating.
“In this passionate talk, Theaster Gates, a potter by training and a social activist by calling, describes his efforts to build a “miniature Versailles” in Chicago, and he shares his fervent belief that culture can be a catalyst for social transformation in any city, anywhere.” -TED YouTube
Pictured to the left is the abandoned residence Gates transformed into the black cinema house.
Odyssey, Extra! 