Extraordinary Effort
"It is only the extraordinary effort, personal resources, and professional dedication of contingent faculty that allows them to overcome the obstacles to quality education that derive directly from their employment status," notes Steve Street, Maria Maisto, Esther Merves* and Gary Rhoades in Who is Professor “Staff”: And how can this person teach so many classes?, an article exploring the conditions and ramifications of adjunct abundance in post-secondary teaching environments.
I have worked as an adjunct lecturer at 4 institutions of higher learning, each in a different state of the union. Each school afforded varied benefits, challenges, and systems. I felt very supported and valued at 2 of the four schools. At one I only taught a single semester, so a sense of community could hardly develop, but I surmise, given the format of the systems and tendency of the culture there, had I taught longer I still would have lacked at sense of collegiality and community.
Unfortunately, the school at which I currently teach has a similar lack of in person community; admittedly the professional development opportunities via virtual media are abundant, and by proxy the virtual community.
The remaining two schools offered marvelous sense of belonging and inclusion. I woefully assumed all schools would be as inclusive as the first.
Part of the challenge of being an adjunct lecturer at a school that places lesser value on adjuncts is an impaired sense of worth. I have over a decade of teaching experience, I have a host of student evaluations noting the positive aspects of the learning environment, as well as colleagues who value my perspectives and seek out my feedback and ideas (at former institutions where I taught).
However, not having an office phone, ((or an office as it is a shared space with a table full of computers to be shared by all adjuncts in the various departments under the humanities and social sciences umbrella) or access to office supplies sends a message of... low status.
So, to read acknowledgement of the extraordinary effort it takes to be an engaging, effective, well-prepared instructor is affirming.
As I read through the article, I nod my head at the accuracy. I feel a sense of, yes, others recognize the situation too! The article delineates aspects of the 'just in the classroom' element of being an adjunct that I find particularly frustrating because both the instructor and the student is adversely affected.
"The “just in the classroom” aspect of contingent employment so narrowly constructs the faculty role that it overlooks what we know is important for faculty and for students to ensure a quality education. Current hiring practices treat contingent faculty members as individual contractors who are being hired simply to go to a classroom and deliver a prepackaged course."
The sense that the hours in front of students is the whole of the job is absurd, demoralizing, and difficult to explain to others. Many outside of teaching have little understanding of the time and energy spent preparing lessons and materials, then providing comprehensive feedback to student work, and the additional commitment of communication (email, messaging through course technology elements) and record keeping.
Further in the article the authors note, "While intensely aware of their own “second-‐class” status and its potential negative effectson students, many respondents expressed a desire to protect their students from the effects of their employment situations even when doing so entailed considerable personal cost. A surprisingly large number of respondents spoke of “living in poverty” and identified terrible pay as a significant problem. Nevertheless, respondents also reported spending their own money– on copies, on personal computers, software, and more – to provide and ensure their students receive a quality educational experience."
The commitment to quality instruction overrides most other elements. I imagine some folks may ask, "if the working conditions are so frustrating, why continue to do the job?" While that may be a logical question, the answer involves more than logic. For me, I have a passion for teaching, a natural affinity too. I enjoy the process, and find motivating and rewarding the process of facilitating learning. Additionally, I have an abiding interest in and value of the subject matter. Pathos is a strong element to the decision to teach. Ethos too - for I value education and communication as central elements of our culture, I strive to instill in others a recognition of the value of communication, as well as the effort to improve.
I have worked as an adjunct lecturer at 4 institutions of higher learning, each in a different state of the union. Each school afforded varied benefits, challenges, and systems. I felt very supported and valued at 2 of the four schools. At one I only taught a single semester, so a sense of community could hardly develop, but I surmise, given the format of the systems and tendency of the culture there, had I taught longer I still would have lacked at sense of collegiality and community.
Unfortunately, the school at which I currently teach has a similar lack of in person community; admittedly the professional development opportunities via virtual media are abundant, and by proxy the virtual community.
The remaining two schools offered marvelous sense of belonging and inclusion. I woefully assumed all schools would be as inclusive as the first.
Part of the challenge of being an adjunct lecturer at a school that places lesser value on adjuncts is an impaired sense of worth. I have over a decade of teaching experience, I have a host of student evaluations noting the positive aspects of the learning environment, as well as colleagues who value my perspectives and seek out my feedback and ideas (at former institutions where I taught).
However, not having an office phone, ((or an office as it is a shared space with a table full of computers to be shared by all adjuncts in the various departments under the humanities and social sciences umbrella) or access to office supplies sends a message of... low status.
So, to read acknowledgement of the extraordinary effort it takes to be an engaging, effective, well-prepared instructor is affirming.
"The “just in the classroom” aspect of contingent employment so narrowly constructs the faculty role that it overlooks what we know is important for faculty and for students to ensure a quality education. Current hiring practices treat contingent faculty members as individual contractors who are being hired simply to go to a classroom and deliver a prepackaged course."
The sense that the hours in front of students is the whole of the job is absurd, demoralizing, and difficult to explain to others. Many outside of teaching have little understanding of the time and energy spent preparing lessons and materials, then providing comprehensive feedback to student work, and the additional commitment of communication (email, messaging through course technology elements) and record keeping.
Further in the article the authors note, "While intensely aware of their own “second-‐class” status and its potential negative effectson students, many respondents expressed a desire to protect their students from the effects of their employment situations even when doing so entailed considerable personal cost. A surprisingly large number of respondents spoke of “living in poverty” and identified terrible pay as a significant problem. Nevertheless, respondents also reported spending their own money– on copies, on personal computers, software, and more – to provide and ensure their students receive a quality educational experience."
The commitment to quality instruction overrides most other elements. I imagine some folks may ask, "if the working conditions are so frustrating, why continue to do the job?" While that may be a logical question, the answer involves more than logic. For me, I have a passion for teaching, a natural affinity too. I enjoy the process, and find motivating and rewarding the process of facilitating learning. Additionally, I have an abiding interest in and value of the subject matter. Pathos is a strong element to the decision to teach. Ethos too - for I value education and communication as central elements of our culture, I strive to instill in others a recognition of the value of communication, as well as the effort to improve.
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