Breath of fresh air

About a week ago I went to visit with a professor at a community college.  I set up the meeting by literally going to their website and scrolling through to find bio profs and just randomly emailing them.  This woman replied right away and said she would love to chat.  So I set up a meeting.

I have to say this was one of the best things I've done in awhile!  This prof got her PhD at Hopkins, had done some teaching while there, she relocated with her husband and applied for a job at the community college to have something to pay the bills while she looked for a job.  She said at some point she realized she didn't need to keep looking for something she loved, that she was already DOING something she loved.  Wow-awesome.  I hope that happens to me!!!

But what was so refreshing was just talking with her about what her job is like.  She says she teaches people who are at all levels-some of her students can barely read, others are high achievers looking to go to a 4 year university but are just saving money, others are returning students looking to change careers, going to school while working a full-time job and raising kids.  She was so excited and so motivated to help all these people reach whatever their goal was.  It was just so refreshing to talk with a professor who loved teaching, who loved the challenge of teaching.  There was no ego, no worry about grant money or when to publish the next paper.  All she had to do was teach and plan her lessons.  Of course, I make that sound like 'all she had to do' is no big deal. I don't mean to diminish the difficulty of teaching AT ALL.  I realize it's very challenging, perhaps even more so in an environment with such a diverse student population.  But this challenge sounds so much more appealing to me than the environment I had just come from: a start up lab with a PI trying to get tenure and be a 'high profile' professor.  Someone who isn't at a university because she wanted to teach but to just further her own career and gain prestige.

All this being said, money in my state for higher ed is in the toilet.  That is pretty much true across the board.  The community college I visited doesn't even have money to run summer school this year at all.  So...this sounds great, but there are little to no job openings.  But I will keep my name out there, keep talking to the chairs to see if I can sneak in there somewhere and maybe try out teaching for awhile.  Of course, I'm still looking at writing and editing opportunities, but I don't have to pick just one thing, do I?  I'm starting to get excited about trying something new!  Now I just hope I'll be able to find a job!