Diary of an Adjunct Instructor
I've mentioned in a couple of previous posts that I'm currently working as an adjunct (read part-time without benefits) instructor at the Art Institute of Indianapolis. Well, a new quarter started up last week and this time I've been asked to teach two classes - that means I'm now at the Art Institute from 1:00 - 10:00pm every Thursday and I have the privilege of working with 46 students*! This quarter is the best so far as this is the first one when I have a solid (and complete) lesson plan put together before the quarter even began.
*It also means that every Friday morning for the next ten weeks I expect to be EXHAUSTED from being on my feet for eight hours and using so much energy in class - think retail when you're the only salesperson on the floor.
My first quarter teaching this class I was usually only one or two lesson plans ahead of the class (though I did have a loose idea of what was going on). At the end of that quarter, I had a much clearer view of what I was teaching** and a better idea of how much I wanted to teach... and to do things the way I wanted to I had to scrap my current plan and start over.
**Interestingly, I never took Typography when I was in college - though I did take a few weeks of it during high school - so the idea of what an entire class based around it would look like was beyond me. With my lack of experience and guidance, I ended up putting together a fun and extensive but shallow curriculum that was a broad overview of both Type I & II.
The second quarter I was still only one or two lesson plans ahead of the class, but this time I had additional resources to work from and one quarter of experience under my belt so I my expectations were a little more realistic. My class became suddenly a lot more work, but my students were leaving that much better prepared.
I guess I did alright if this quarter is any indication because I have two classes that are almost completely full and I'm working on acquiring a tutor to help. Because I finally have a strong curriculum to work from***, I'm able to spend more time tweaking things and making each lesson plan that much more solid. I think that by the end of this quarter I should have a strong program for any Typography I class to use... it feels like an accomplishment.
***I'm now more than just a couple weeks ahead of my students - it's amazing how much more confident I am knowing where my students are going and how to effectively gauge their progress.
I love my work and I love my students and I love the work we get to do together. This isn't the work I would have chosen for myself, but it has so many components to it that matter to me and I'm able to bring things to my classroom that make this a truly rewarding experience. Life can take a lot of unexpected turns, but when I look at where I am now, I know I'm blessed.
Thanks, God!
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