Today is the first day of the semester, and as always, I am very excited to get going. After weeks of wondering what a particular class will be like, what kinds of questions the students will come up with, and wondering how on earth to finish all that grading, I finally get to just move forward and do it. In addition to all of the usual “first day of the semester” feelings, I also feel deeply satisfied to be back in a full-time teaching position for the first time since 2013. From 2013-2018 I was in school full-time, and my PhD program included both the usual coursework and then years of research, along with ample opportunities to teach both as a TA and teaching my own classes, but since then I’ve been on the adjunct road.
Last semester I taught at three different institutions, juggled three different e-mail addresses, three different sets of institutional deadlines (even though two of the three schools are part of the same state system…), and just in general felt like I had too many plates up in the air. A few of these proverbial plates “dropped” during the semester, which was completely predictable. Toss in everyday life, parenting, being present for and with my partner, and yes, I was relieved when the spring semester wrapped up. When one course ended, I would like “it is finished” (bonus points to you, dear reader, if you catch the reference)…and then I would quickly realize that “it” wasn’t quite finished, because there were two other sets of due dates to keep track of! This semester is different.
I have a full-time instructor position this semester. It is a “visiting” position because I am effectively filling in for another faculty member while they are on leave (taking a visiting position elsewhere), and no one knows what will happen in the future. But for this academic year, I have job security, benefits, and increased pay. On the home front, we’re talking about maybe putting a bit more money towards my student loans, and hopefully saving up a bit more. My department is incredibly supportive, and I feel very fortunate to be working with a group of people who really appreciate what I have to offer. In my experience, adjunct faculty are treated all too often as if they are simply a cog in the machine of academia. From a certain point of view, that’s all any of us are, no matter what industry or sector we work in, but it makes a huge different to me that for this year, I am valued more highly. I feel encouraged to put more into my classes, which is made possible by the fact that I don’t have as many classes to teach as last semester, and that I’m being paid so much more per class (roughly 2.5x, if my calculations based on the per credit hour rate are correct). The paycheck is part of it, but there’s a lot more beyond money. At work, I have so much more to give each and every one of the my students. At home, I know I will have more emotional space to show up for my family. In turn, this means I will have more energy to give back to the community at large, especially through volunteering. That is why I’m looking forward to this semester more than others in recent memory.