I Am Born A New Adjunct

After working for twenty-five years in the financial services industry I started on my quest to change careers and entered into the teaching field during the fall of 2008. I started working as a substitute teacher for three school districts within Columbus Ohio, and became a part-time adjunct faculty member with Columbus State Community College in February 2009. I absolutely love the college, my students and working with a very professional group of experienced professors/instructors who are passionate about their work and their students. Even though I have been with the college for a little over a year now, I still consider myself to be a new adjunct, and only because I have taught my course just twice (Spring Quarter 2009, and Summer Quarter 2010) during season as a “New Adjunct.”  

I have been on the roster to teach during the quarters in between, but always had a class cancellation due to low enrollment or because of my availability to teach on certain evenings. One of the drawbacks to being a “New Adjunct” is the fact that you might be possibly considered or not be considered for any additional training for whatever reason, or not being informed of some departmental/college community changes/updates, an assignment of  additional duties, or maybe just trying to fit in you’re your colleagues and getting to know them better.

Since becoming a new adjunct faculty member I have observed many important things that were mostly unspoken, but very obvious: For starters in my opinion the office politics of the department seem to dictate which “New Adjunct” will receive  one or more (or any) teaching assignments during the new quarter, along with the variety of courses available for teaching and which “New Adjunct” will receive the  opportunity to teach during the new quarter. This seems to be a standard practice, some of my colleagues may not agree with me. This is not meant to sound negative; it is only my observation and some of you may agree with that declaration. 

As a “New Adjunct, my goal for the future  is to keep my job as an adjunct instructor, to teach on a quarterly basis with a regular reliable schedule, to solicit feedback from my mentors/peers through observation, annual or semi-annual reviews, and to become a respected, trustworthy, knowledgeable and sought after adjunct instructor with my community college. How do I do that? We’ll explore the ways together. Being a “New Adjunct” has its ups and downs that seem to be a part of the territory by default, but teaching part-time is also a very rewarding profession. It is an opportunity that I am grateful to have along with the privilege to be a part of a respected team within the business management department. It is an honor to be of service to my students and to the community as a whole as an instructor working with a respected community college that cares about all students and their future.

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