Do you want to hear something really amusing? You don’t? Well, too bad, because I’m going to tell you anyway.

Back when I had only a Georgia Equivalency Diploma (GED) and three courses at a local junior college to my name, I was naïve enough to think that if I returned to school and if I obtained an education, I would be able to earn a decent income and know at least a measure of financial security. Well, boys and girls, I have now faced reality, and it isn’t a pretty picture; for what I failed to consider, even for a moment, back in my innocent days, was how when I obtained an education and stepped onto the stage called “life,” the world would not applaud or welcome me with an open checkbook but sneer and look the other way.

I possess two degrees, a bachelor’s (major in English, minor in education) and a master’s (English); however, I can neither obtain fulltime employment nor earn a decent income. And, trust me, I have tried. After all, I have been teaching for over 15 years now. Yes, I had fulltime employment for four years after graduation when I taught high school; but then I became fed up with the constant discipline problems and also decided I would prefer teaching students who were serious, or at least semi-serious, about their education. That was when I began teaching college.

The problem with my decision, however, is that I soon learned most colleges and universities had morphed into Adjunct Universities, meaning that instead of hiring fulltime instructors, they now utilize part-time instructors (adjuncts) as much as possible. Of course, from a financial standpoint, that trend is justified. One, schools do not have to provide adjuncts with benefits, for example, healthcare insurance or retirement plans; two, adjuncts are paid a stipend for each course instead of being guaranteed a fixed yearly salary; and, three, colleges and universities do have to provide tenure to adjuncts, which means adjuncts have no job security. In fact, we adjuncts live from semester to semester or, in some cases, from course to course, hoping we will be offered enough courses to enable us to pay our bills and, all the time, praying that the courses we are offered will make enrollment and, therefore, not be cancelled.

As a result, like most other adjuncts, I accept all the courses I am offered; and I work seven days a week, sometimes as many as 12 to 15 hours a day, because I teach not only campus classes but also online classes; and, trust me, online classes are extremely time-consuming, not to mention several times as much work as campus classes (Try grading papers electronically). Yet, even though I put in such long hours, I made less than $30,000 last year. You say, “So what? Don’t you love teaching? What about all that personal fulfillment you receive?” Yes, I love teaching; and, yes, I find it personally fulfilling. Moreover, I can honestly say that I pour my heart and soul into my teaching; and I also genuinely strive to provide my students with a real education. Plus, I believe that if I fail them, I myself have failed. On the other hand, it would be nice to be paid based upon how much effort I expend—all those long hours, all that caring, and all that dedication. It would be nice to be able to afford to put a new roof on my house without going in debt to do so. It would be nice not to be afraid that the air conditioner will break this year or that the cost of house insurance will again increase 100% when the next hurricane comes howling through South Louisiana. It would be nice not to worry.

So, how do you think it makes me feel when I see a headline in the paper saying that the head coach for LSU will earn more than $3.75 million a year under his new contract, with a guaranteed $18.75 million if he is fired without cause; or that a running back was offered $70 million over ten years; or that some corporate CEO earns $100 million a year, with stocks and other perks; plus, if he still gets this astronomical sum even if the corporation loses money or goes bankrupt. And what about Britney Spears? Did you know this role model for today’s young women makes over $750,000 a month? I ask what has Britney Spears done to deserve that kind of money? Has she worked for the betterment of humankind? Has she even done an honest day’s work in her narcissistic pampered little life? 

Oh, well, sorry for the diatribe. But I guess I’m bitter. I guess I’m discouraged. I guess I’m exhausted. Still, regardless of all that, I will continue teaching. Why? Because I love teaching—it’s that simple. I just wish it would pay the bills.