New Adjunct: The Similarities Between Poker & Teaching Part-Time

By Melissa Miller, Ed.D., M.Ed.

My husband and I belong to a poker group that meets about once per month. It’s a casual game, and we also take turns cooking dinner for each other. Last night was our turn to host, and as we were eating and playing, I pondered the ways in which the game of poker is similar to my life as a New Adjunct. Although these are two different worlds, some lessons, strategies, and principles run parallel.

Ante: This is paid by each player to ensure “that a player who folds every round will lose money (though slowly), thus providing all players with an incentive, however small, to play the hand…” (Wikipedia, 2011). This is similar to an investment in the game, and for me, my own education is my investment in the game. I consider this investment previous schooling, as well as on-going professional development.

The Bluff: To bluff is to make a bet or a raise when you know you most likely do not have the winning hand. The goal of bluffing is to eliminate players who can possibly beat your hand. Adjuncts bluff when lecturing – sometimes we put on

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