Job Description(s)

I have posted quickly a couple times about going back to work part-time. It was kind of a difficult decision to make, but since David is still searching for a job and we live right next to all of the grandparents we really felt like me going back to work for a bit was clearly the best choice. One of the biggest reasons that I decided to go for a Master's in math rather than one in education was because I realized early on that I would like to work part-time rather than full-time (since David wants to be a lawyer). A lot of people see it as a downside, but I really like that with my degree I can be hired on a semester-by-semester basis to teach a class at a college or university. There obviously aren't great benefits to this kind of work, neither is there much job security. But given the kind of responses that I got as this fall semester neared, I would say that my degree and skills are pretty high in demand even in the bad economy.

So, when I say I got two jobs I should also tell you that I will still be working very part-time, about 15 hours a week, to teach two different courses at two different places. Tomorrow I will begin teaching College Algebra at NKU and it will be pretty standard as far as teaching college goes. I write my own syllabus, give lectures twice a week, assign homework, and write and grade exams. I am nervous to have all of this responsibility since at UK I was only a TA (teaching assistant), but at the same time I am excited to experiment a little bit with all of the extra time that I get to see my students. I will have 37 students who range from freshmen to juniors, and I am anxious to see how my first class goes tomorrow.

My other job is a bit harder to explain. My first day was today, although I mostly just did some observation and finished up paperwork. Officially I am an Adult Education Math Teacher at Gateway Community and Technical College. Gateway (as well as 7 other of the KCTCS institutions) have a big grant which is partially funded by the Gates Foundation (as in Bill Gates). The grant funds a program called Accelerated Opportunities and basically it tries to help students at technical college pass up any developmental education courses. They don't want students who are working toward 2 year degrees or even certifications to get stuck in remedial math or reading and then never finish. The goal is to help students with "basic skills" (reading, writing and math) within a setting where they already are - i.e. their technical courses. So my job is to team teach a technical course on how to work these huge machines - clearly, my part in the team teaching is to help with the basic skills when students have problems and the other teacher guides them on making the drill bits.

I literally had no idea what to expect (and to be honest, I am still a little fuzzy). Today I walked into a classroom that looked more like a warehouse - there were machines 3 times my size and huge overhead lights. The class is made up of 17 guys, all of whom had on their cammo hats, work boots, levi jeans and safety glasses. To say I was out of place with my dangling earrings and plum eyeliner would be a huge understatement. But, I had to say I enjoyed observing the class. All of the students were so respectful and clearly motivated. Most of them are already on the job and their employer is paying for them to take this course in "Machine Tool", so their attitudes are vastly different from most of the college students that I have encountered. I also feel like I am going to learn a lot: today I learned how to use a fire extinguisher, that diamond is made of carbon and thus can't cut through other high-carbon materials (like iron), and that even when using a drill press you still need a pilot hole.

The job at Gateway is going to stretch me a lot - but I think NKU will also be a challenge, in a different way. All in all I am really excited to start teaching, because I think that being an educator is an opportunity to really change someone's life. I am trying to be confident in the fact that I am qualified to do this and if I am just myself all of my students will like me and respect me. It is a funny feeling actually having jobs which require the highest degree that I earned. In so many ways I don't feel ready (Professor Harrison???) but at the same time, these opportunities are exactly the reason that I worked so hard for 2 years. I keep thinking about how blessed I have been in my educational experiences and the abundance of opportunities which have come my way. I know I don't deserve them, but I also know that I am passionate about education and that I have been given skills and experiences which have prepared me very well for the job(s) that I am about to do.