WRITING 181: GAMES WE PLAY, 10

THE WORKLOAD GAME:

THE MATERIAL GAIN IS MARGINAL, TWO COURSE LOAD CREDITS. BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT MATERIAL GAIN. 

IT IS A FIGHT FOR YOUR YOUTH, A FIGHT TO SET UP THE BOUNDARIES, A FIGHT TO TEST YOUR RESOLVE,  A FIGHT TO SHOW YOUR DARING, A FIGHT TO FORGE YOUR CHARACTER.

IT IS A FIGHT THAT DEFINES WHO YOU ARE.

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I emailed him this morning with only one sentence: but it is all that takes to get him nervous:
“Given you insist a different interpretation of my contract, I may have to ask others for resolution.”

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Hi L,

I appreciated your time talking to me over the phone yesterday. While you feel we cannot agree, I hope that you at least see some of my points of views.  I would like to reiterate my willingness to meet with you to further our dialogue and to look for an acceptable solution.

Since you told me that you need to know your teaching load for planning for next year’ teaching schedule, as I told you during our conversation, for now please plan for having a a four course load for next year, while we continue to resolve the disagreement about your contract.

At this point I would like to request for a face-to-face meeting with you, at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your patience.

Y.

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Dear Y,

The issue is simple: It concerns only one sentence on teaching in my contract. According to the contract, I believe school owes me two courses credits; yet you insist otherwise, refusing to correct the mistake.

For that simple issue, you have had five years to resolve it. We discussed it five years ago, and you refused to honor it. Last month, in good faith, I asked you again, and you delayed for a month. Yesterday, with goodwill, I discussed with you again, for more than an hour. And again, you refused to honor it.

So the issue now is a simple question: will school honor my contract, and correct the mistake of two courses credits?

As you asked yesterday, please take your time, as long as you please. Meanwhile, I will do what I believe.

Take care,

L.

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DAY 181, 5PTS, 3.16W

[ROUTINE]
RUN: 0;
SWIM: 0;
LEARN: 0;

[WORK]
TQ2: 2HRS;

[LIFE]
DENTAL VISIT, FIX TWO CAVITIES, \$300;

[SCHOOL]
WORKLOAD: DECLARE THE WAR, I WILL GO ALL THE WAY, EVEN NOTHING IN RETURN;

[HAPPY MOMENT]
CLARITY WITH THE NECESSARY ACTIONS.

[ATLANTIC OCEAN, MAINE, MAY, 2006]

DAY 168, 10PTS, 3.03R

[ROUTINE]
RUN: 2.5MILES, 9MPH, 17MPH;
SWIM: 1KM;
LEARN: LUENBERGER, 2HRS;

[WORK]
TQ2: WRITE THE EMPIRICAL PART, PELICAN, 3HRS;
TA2: MEETING WITH KK, 8PM-8:20PM;

[OTHERS]
GET THE FINGERPRINT DONE, 2PM-3PM;
READ: MASTERY;

[HAPPY MOMENT]
IGNORE THE BOOS, EMAIL THE SCHOOL DIRECTLY, SAY WHAT IT IS: NAKED, SELF-PROMOTION, FOR THE SECOND TIME

WRITING 163: GAMES WE PLAY, 6

You must set the boundary for your life. People are remarkably adaptive. If you don’t plan your life, others will.

Here is an example. I have the TYM project with a senior MG: the only thing he did was checking the grammars. Yet, because I willingly played the role of juniors, the normal game between seminar and junior workers, MG played his part to: they say they have great expectation of you. What they really mean is that  they will do almost nothing but want to slave you.

So I decided to reset the expectation by playing the game a bit differently. Here is the series of email exchanges in the last a few days.

———————————————

Hey, L – just checking in. Paper was to go out in Nov, Dec, Jan… Almost March!

We going to get it under submission?
M.G.

__________________________________

Dear M,

I have several pending revision going on. So I won’t be able to work on it for at least a month.

If you are in the hurry, here is the latest version that you can work on.

Best,

L.

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I haven’t heard from him since. Expectation reset?

A side note. In signaling games, actions must be credible in order to signal (often go with costs others are unwilling to bear). The purpose is to change/sharpen the belief of the rival. Maybe this is the underlying logic for my action.

WRITING 162: WORK PLAN FOR MARCH, MONTH 5, 262

MONTH 5, 262:

MORTALITY IS ENLIGHTENING. IT IS NOT DPRESSING, BUT THRILLING.

“IT INFUSES COURAGE INTO YOUR BONES.”

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HERE ARE A LIST OF THINGS YOU MUST ACT, IN YOUR OWN INTEREST.

FOR SCHOOL,

1) FOLLOW UP THE WORKLOAD POLICY ON MONDAY; IF NO, FILE THE CHARGE.

2) LIMIT YOUR AVAILABILITY FOR TWO DAYS PER WEEK. FOR THIS QUARTER, MONDAY AND FRIDAY. YOU ARE OFF FOR THE REST.

———————————–
FOR WORK,

YOU MUST LIVE UP TO YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL. TO DO SO, YOU MUST SET UP SHARP EDGED BOUNDARY. RESET OTHERS’ EXPECTATIONS. YOU NEED TIME FOR YOURSELF.

GET ALL THE TRIVIAL STUFF DONE. INVEST A WEEK FOR EACH. NO MORE. IF YOU CANNOT FINISH IT, CUT IT AND MOVE ON. AS THEY ARE SUNK COSTS, YOU CANNOT AFFORD WASTE MORE TIME ON THEM IN THE FUTURE.

1) TQ2: GET IT DONE IN A WEEK. SINCE YOU PROMISED KK, THIS ONE MUST COME OUT. DO WHAT YOU CAN. WRITE, WRITE, AND WRITE. DELIVER NEXT THURSDAY. NO MORE. 1 WEEK.

2) TYM2: PUSH BACK MG. BUT YOU OWES JS. SO SPEND A WEEK TO WRITE IT UP. 1 WEEK.

3) AO: LIMIT THE MEETING TIME TO 30MIN; WRAP UP AT 25MIN; ASK WHAT IS THE NEXT ACTION; ASK AO TO FOLLOW MY IDEA; GET IT MOVE; DON’T WASTE TIME ON THE TRIVIAL STUFF. ALSO, ASK HIM ABOUT IAD2—IN OR OUT. AGAIN, DON’T WASTE MY TIME. I HAD ENOUGH.

4) PLD: PUSH PL. EITHER SUBMIT OR ABANDON IT. DON’T WASTE MY TIME.

5) MHS: ASK M.E. TO WORK WITH J.S. IF M.E. WANTS IT, THEN DO THE WORK. I WILL NOT WASTE MORE TIME.

6) BAR: ASK B.M. TO LEAD THE REVISION. YOU HAD DONE YOUR SHARE.

NOW EVERYTHING IS CLEAR. HERE IS MY WORK SCHEDULE FOR MARCH:
1) TQ2, 1 WEEK;
2) TYM2, 1 WEEK;
3) MRF: REVISION, FOR THE REST OF MARCH;
MAYBE: BAR, BUT ASK B.M. FIRST.

[WALL OF NINE DRAGONS, BEIJING,  CHINA, SUMMER, 2013]

WRITING 158: GAMES WE PLAY, 5

DESPITE MY CONTRACT FOR 4, THE BOSS HAS UNILATERALLY INCREASED MY WORKLOAD TO 4.5 FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS. THIS IS BLATANT BULLY: HE KNOWS I AS JUNIOR CANNOT ARGUE AGAINST THIS INJUSTICE.

BUT NOW IT IS A DIFFERENT TIME. I HAVE MY SECURITY AND I WON’T PUT UP WITH THE BULLY ANY LONGER. ALSO, NOW IS A GOOD TIMING. ALREADY, HE IS CHARGED FOR SEVERAL VIOLATIONS. LACK OF SUPPORT, HE IS IN A PRECARIOUS STATE, WORRYING THAT HE MAY LOSE THE POSITION. SO, PUT IN HIS SHOES, THE LAST THING HE WANTS IS ANOTHER COMPLAINT/CHARGE FILED AGAINST HIM.

OF COURSE, HE MAY STILL PLAY NASTY. AFTER ALL, HE HATES ME SINCE DAY ONE. THE WORST OUTCOME IS THAT HE REFUSES, FOR HE DOES NOT WANT TO LOOK WEAK STILL. AGREEING ON MY TERM WILL ANGER THE REST: AFTER ALL, WHY THEY SHOULD TEACH 4.5?

BUT HE WILL ALSO HAVE TO CONSIDER, WITH FAIR CERTAINTY, THIS TIME I WILL NOT LET IT GO WITHOUT PUTTING UP A FIGHT—I WILL SURELY FILE THE CHARGE, THE ACTION I AM READY TO TAKE.

WITH THAT CONVICTION, I EMAIL HIM TODAY. NOW THE BALL IS IN HIS COURT. LET’S SEE HOW HE PLAYS THE GAME.

—-
DEAR Y,

I HOPE YOU ARE DOING WELL.

I AM WRITING REGARDING MY TEACHING LOAD. MY CONTRACT SPECIFIES THAT

“YOUR TEACHING LOAD WILL CONSIST OF THREE QUARTER COURSES IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF YOUR APPOINTMENT AND FOUR QUARTER COURSES BEGINNING IN YOUR THIRD YEAR WITH SUBSEQUENT REVIEW OF TEACHING LOAD AT EACH MERIT REVIEW.”

THE UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ME AND THEN DEAN DS IS THAT, AS LONG AS I PASS MY MERIT REVIEW, MY TEACHING LOAD REMAINS FOUR.

SINCE I GOT MY PROMOTION (EFFECTIVE FROM JULY 1, 2015), ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACT, MY TEACHING LOAD SHOULD BE 4, NOT 4.5, FROM YEAR 15/16 TILL NEXT MERIT REVIEW. I HOPE THE SCHOOL MAKE THE CORRECTION.

YOUR CONSIDERATION IS MUCH APPRECIATED.

BEST REGARDS,

ACTION415

[KEY WEST, FL, MARCH 2015]