I have been teaching in the [department omitted] at QC since 1999, variously as an adjunct and on a substitute lecturer line. Although I have also taught outside of QC, at the moment this is my only job.
Each semester I have to wait until all of the full-time faculty have received their assignments before I know what and when I am teaching. In order to maintain a full schedule of three classes each semester, I have to be extremely flexible. I teach a wide variety of classes and I have to be willing to teach on any day and at any time. Sometimes I don’t know what classes I am going to be teaching until a week before the semester starts. Sometimes I don’t have a full schedule of three classes, which definitely has a negative impact on my finances. Sometimes I don’t get paid on time, which makes it hard to budget and to pay my bills on time. Once, HR didn’t have any record of my classes for the semester and I didn’t get paid until the semester ended (that was a summer session).
I love the [department omitted] and I get along very well (and believe that I have the respect of) the department chair and my colleagues, both adjuncts and full-time faculty, as well as the office staff. I have a cubicle with my own desk, phone, and filing cabinets and a shared computer. The full-time faculty and department chair reach out to the adjuncts and make us feel welcomed. I feel that in this department we are treated as equals.
However, the uncertainty as to when and what I will be teaching (and how many classes) absolutely has a negative impact on my life. It is difficult to prepare for classes at the last minute, and I often have to prepare for three very different classes. I have taught a wide variety of literacy, child development, early childhood, research, and other classes (both graduate and undergraduate) and supervised student teachers. While I am happy to do so, I would appreciate greater security in my professional life.
At this time, I am completing my PhD. at The Graduate Center. I hope to defend my dissertation within a few months. For the foreseeable future, I hope to continue working in the [department omitted] at QC.
