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And here we see the end of my first full week of year three as an adjunct professor.

My schedule this semester is glorious. Mention once, once to the English department secretary (2 years ago, mind you) that I prefer afternoon classes, and this semester she's arranges for me to have all afternoon and evening classes. She's the coolest. I've even got enough seniority now that the bevy of last minute changes didn't affect me. (Color me shocked when the Chair pointed out that I'm one of the more experienced teachers in the department now.) I've got a full, four-course load of Freshman Comp I for the first time. Two of the classes are on MWF, one at 3:00 and one at 4:00. The other two are a Monday evening class from 6-9 and Thursday evening from 6-9. This means my earliest day starts at 1:00 pm, my latest starts at 3:00, and I don't have to go in to the office on Tuesdays at all.

The four sections of Comp all on different schedules might be a problem. I'm already getting a little confused about which section has had which material. Yesterday I introduced an activity to my 3:00 class, explained all the directions, etc. and then had them inform me that they'd already done it. Oops.

The two biggest challenges of the semester are 1) reintroducing a textbook. I've yet to find one that I'm even remotely happy with and that the university already has in stock; and 2) planning around the impending birth. The students don't quite understand that there won't be a substitute teacher; it doesn't quite work that way at the university level. Especially at my level within the university. There's no maternity leave for adjuncts, so I either have to figure out how to cover my classes, or find a way that the students get can accomplish the material without my physical presence. Fortunately, the department is on my side. More fortunately, the due date is Thanksgiving. So, assuming the babe's on time, I'll only have three weeks worth of classes to worry about before Winter Break starts.

In more amusing news, a new family moved in across the street from us. They have the same last name as we do. Absolutely no relation. Also, a family of evacuees from Katrina moved in to the next town up the road. They also have the same last name as us (and no relation). If this keeps up, people are going to start thinking that we're one of the local "old" families.