December 13th 2007

Yada Yada Yada

I adore the blog RateYourStudents.com. It's cheeky, and yet the writers never take themselves or their subject matter too seriously. A browse through their recent posts brought me face-to-face with a list of the top four complaints from their readers. My favorite (and their number ONE complaint):
What is this, AdjunctNation or something? I'm sick of hearing an adjunct's view of the academy. I know they're working hard, driving the miles, yada yada yada. It seems sometimes that these people teaching 6-12 classes a term - not to mention all their driving around - have far more time on their hands than you'd imagine. Their experience teaching certainly has validity, but this site should focus on the work of traditional faculty.

Yada. Yada. Yada. Indeed. Someone is feeling unheard and out-numbered, and I am sitting here laughing like a jackal.

Excellent observation, though: it would appear that those people teaching 6-12 classes a term and driving 120000 miles a term have way more time on their hands than you'd imagine. It's obviously all about the proliferation of WiFi.

Pull into the drive through window at Starbuck's to get your morning coffee, boot up the laptop, login to their WiFi, surf over to RateMyStudents and shoot off a quick posting. One hour later, refill your Starbuck's Imperial gallon coffee cup at the on campus branch (free with an initial purchase, of course....clever, yes?), flip open the laptop, jump on the Starbuck's network, surf over to RateMyStudents.com, comment on the first posting you shot off earlier that morning.

Pick up lunch at the local Soup Kitchen, crack open the old laptop and, low and behold, an open network labelled "MadameMamiesLingerie" pops up in your list of available networks. Thank the Good Lord that Madame Mamie pays more attention to lacey knickers than WEP passwords for her router. Surf over to RateMyStudents.com and see who has responded to your first two posts. Not enough response. You post again.

It's not that adjuncts have more time on their hands. Hell, I bet there is someone out there who has graded papers while driving between schools. Everyone knows that part-timers are really good at multi-tasking. Yada. Yada. Yada.

Posted By Part-Time T. at 8:00 AM

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