When you work as an academic, at times it is hard to see much progress in your work. Lots of research, lots of writing, all of which often lead to lots of revision. And then, after you submit a manuscript (whether for book or journal for example), you have to wait for publication (assuming of course that your submission is accepted for publication and you don't have to start over on something else, or there isn't more revision that needs to be done!). And that is just if we are talking about a manuscript. Academic teaching also involves a good deal of waiting to if the lectures you've delivered and the reading you've assigned have actually produced results in your students or not--which often doesn't happen until final exams or papers are handed in! It is a wonderful teacher of patience.
That's why I'm thankful for days like today. I had the opportunity to stay home from my campus office and get some projects done around the house. Sanding, painting, moving furniture, cleaning out the garage, yard work were all on my agenda, and all accomplished. I was reminded of many of the jobs I had before I headed off to college: working on a farm baling hay, doing construction work, all of which were hard work, but also jobs in which when you ended the day (even if there was more work to do tomorrow) you could see the progress that had been made.
There is satisfaction in working until a project is done, to seeing it through. There is also satisfaction when that work is noticed by others. In the past few months, a second round of reviews of my book The Mainline have appeared. The most recent I've found come from Church History and from The History Teacher. I was gratified, as I always am, when I find out my book has been reviewed. Even more so, because the reviews were positive!
In the case of Church History, the review was written by Dr. Barton E. Price (in the journal's December 2013 issue on pages 1018-1020) of IUPU-Fort Wayne. I was gratified, in particular, that Dr. Barton noted my attempt at defining the mainline as the "most culturally influential and demographically representative group of denominations at a given historical moment" (3). As he then notes, "this statement is without a doubt Lantzer's crowning achievement because it reorients our use of the term." (1019) That he goes on to hit some high points and issues he has with the narrative -- as any good reviewer would -- and still finds the book "a valuable resource" (1020), is very flattering to this author.
And then there is The History Teacher review. THT is the journal of the Society for History Education, and the review of my book was published in its November 2013 issue (on pages 138-139). The journal asked Dr. Jerry Hopkins of East Texas Baptist University. That he also enjoyed the book enough to recommend it (saying, "For those who teach American history, culture, and religion courses, this is a very good source. It is well researched, appropriately documented, and very readable. It is a good book for both instructors and students."), calling it "an excellent resource" isn't to shabby either!
As this day draws to a close then, I guess it is good to remember that hard work does pay off. That what we do each day is progress to the next. And being patient does often bring with it rewards.
No comments:
Post a Comment