November 14: Losing Your Situation, My Situation, My Worry

"Let me hear another sound from you," said Scrooge, "and you'll keep your Christmas by losing your situation..."

Of course, Scrooge is speaking to Bob Cratchit in the above quote.  Bob applauds for a little speech Scrooge's nephew, Fred, makes in defense of Christmas, and Scrooge puts his clerk in his place.  The old miser reminds Bob just who pays his meager wages.  Bob quickly quiets down.

Today is Worry Wednesday, and I want to speak of a worry that is always near and dear to my heart (as it is to Bob Cratchit in the above passage).  I am speaking, of course, of my fear of losing my job(s).  I am teaching a brand new class at the university this semester--Introduction to Film.  Whenever I teach a class for the first time, I feel like a failure.  I feel like I should pay my students for allowing me to experiment on them.  And, when I get my student evaluations back after the semester is over, I expect to be rated just half a step above Charles Manson as an instructor.

This has never happened to me.  I have never lost my job because of terrible student evaluations.  In fact, my evaluations are usually pretty great (aside from the errant disgruntled student who tells me I'm as useful as an undescended testicle).  I am not worried about losing my situation this semester.  I'm worried about getting classes to teach next semester.

Winter semester always has lower enrollment.  Lower enrollment means fewer classes to teach.  Fewer classes to teach means fewer instructors needed.  Fewer instructors needed means I get stuck teaching Introduction to Septic Tank Report Writing, or something equally as loathsome.  That is my worry at the moment.

The head of the English Department is not Ebenezer Scrooge.  However, I'm feeling very Bob Cratchit-esque this morning.

Perhaps Saint Marty should buy his son a crutch for Christmas.

This guy gets pretty good student evaluations