May 19, 2010

How do you kill a giant stone Abraham Lincoln?


Extra crappy several months - more of the same (adjuncting all over the area and rubbing pennies together to get by), although the teaching was good. More US history giant survey (which is ridiculous - the entire story of American history in one semester), a world history giant survey (even more ridiculous for 6000 years in one semester), and then US II, which is enjoyable.

Even had a campus interview in a city I would have loved and in a place I would have been cool with, but that fell through to an inside hire. So that sucked. Now I have a summer ahead of me to writewritewritewrite and publish, wrap up some research in local collections, but still foreboding job prospects. There were jobs I applied for last fall with over 300 applicants. The pity is I really enjoy the teaching part, and I think - with some genuine modesty - that I'm really outstanding at it; the tragedy would be ending up totally outside looking in while other folks whom I know are shitty teachers get the jobs because they kiss ass better and give their dumb papers. It sure didn't sound like this in the brochure.