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[flipper]

I was hired over a year ago by the then chair to teach part time in a small department at a local college. She told me there was no guarantee I'd work every semester, but that they needed my specialty from time to time. That was great for me. It's exactly the set up I was looking for as a way to stay involved in my discipline while working a full time job -- it had been a little over a year since I last taught.

About a month after that, the chair left and a part time instructor was put in her place as interim chair. She teaches my specialty. A series of screw-ups have happened, some of which were her fault and some of which weren't, that caused me to not get assigned classes for last fall or this spring. I thought I would finally get assigned a class for next fall. She asked for our preferences, so I told her mine, the only class I'm approved to teach that doesn't meet during work hours, and she informed me that she had taken that class to teach herself. I wrote back that meant I would not get to teach next fall, and she never responded.

I'm fed up, but burning a bridge seems a bad idea. I could swallow my pride and leave myself on the supposed faculty list forever or I could leave. Thoughts?

[zuzu_]

Hey flipper,

That sucks. I'm sorry. I've been in similar positions myself, and it doesn't feel good.

Just drop it. The chair knows it's a sh!tty situation, and that's why she's being cowardly and ignoring your emails. She probably didn't take the course just to be nasty.

The way I viewed part-time/adjunct positions is that I am "using" them--to get teaching on my CV, to get favorable observations/student evals, and to get references. Any future job you take will want to contact this woman, so make sure she doesn't think negatively of you. Only behave in such a way that will benefit you and your career.  So I would keep my name on the list for now, but look elsewhere.

Oh, and check out this thread of you haven't already. It won't help the situation, but it may lift your spirits:
http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,44416.0.html

[larryc]

I don't think you have a position to leave. Clearly you are not going to teach there again. Sorry. If you want to teach you need to find somewhere else to do it.

[flipper]

Thanks, zuzu! I did love that thread!

Larry, you're right. There is no position to leave.

I guess I'm using them to some extent--they're already on my resume and vitae as "hired, but not yet assigned a course", because I keep thinking eventually they'll have me teach. Now that I realize the interim chair wants to teach the same courses as me, it's becoming very clear why I'm not getting courses, though I agree she is not being sinister, just opportunistic. Anyway, if I actually leave, I'll have no experience there to reference. Blah!

I guess I'm trying to choose between "safe" = not doing anything and "satisfying" = officially "leaving" the department because they're not actually doing anything for me.

[zuzu_]

Go with "safe." That is what could possibly benefit you and your career.

(You can get your "satisfaction" by mocking them relentlessly (and anonymously) on this forum.

[prytania3]

I don't think you have a position to leave. Clearly you are not going to teach there again. Sorry. If you want to teach you need to find somewhere else to do it.

I would say...

[flipper]

I don't think you have a position to leave. Clearly you are not going to teach there again. Sorry. If you want to teach you need to find somewhere else to do it.

I would say...

I'm intrigued that you both think I won't be asked to teach there at all. I fear the same. So, why do you think so? Because the interim chair wants my classes? What I can't understand is why I was hired at all. It seems they have more teachers (all but two are part time) than they have courses. Obviously, no one informed me of that when I interviewed.

[crowie]

I don't think you have a position to leave. Clearly you are not going to teach there again. Sorry. If you want to teach you need to find somewhere else to do it.

I would say...

I'm intrigued that you both think I won't be asked to teach there at all. I fear the same. So, why do you think so? Because the interim chair wants my classes? What I can't understand is why I was hired at all. It seems they have more teachers (all but two are part time) than they have courses. Obviously, no one informed me of that when I interviewed.

As long as the interim chair is interim chair it's hard to see how you will get work.  They probably hired you in the first place because they either weren't anticipating that the interim chair would assign the classes the way she is doing, or they didn't know there would be an interim chair.  I agree with others, look for other opportunities but don't burn the bridge, it's not worth the effort or any fallout.