by Don Rich

His life as an adjunct collapsed with bitter irony one day when his dean called him into his office to tell him that a colleague had caught him sleeping in the faculty lounge. The dean dressed him down viciously, and then, despite his always having done as he was told and taught everywhere asked, cut his classes from three to one, then none. And all for helping a deaf girl. When he was first hired to teach at the college, he had been so excited. Before that, he had put his teaching career on hold to take care of his children—a job that, as they say, is the toughest you’ll ever love. At first, he was almost paralyzed with nerves, shuffling his notes and responding to questions only after long, unexplainable pauses. But after the second class, he began to find his groove again.

When he and his wife divorced, he poured the passion of his grief into his teaching, and the combination of increased experience and devotion to the task began to bear fruit. Soon, the classroom was alive, with students on the edges of their seats and laughing at his jokes—really getting the material in spite of the poverty of their educational backgrounds. Some- thing special was happening.

Welcome! The article you'd like to read is available to Adjunct Advocate subscribers, or to non-subscribers for purchase with AdjunctNation Passport credits. Your AdjunctNation Passport credit purchases compensate the writers directly!

If you like, visit our secure online store to purchase AdjunctNation Passport credits or subscribe. PLEASE NOTE: If you're already registered, you don't need to register again to read the article! You need to login, go to our secure online store, and purchase AdjunctNationCredits.