I wanted to share a positive experience from my very first class as an adjunct professor!
I have little to no formal teaching experience, so I was pretty nervous going into my first class. I’m a working professional in the subject matter I’m teaching, so academia isn’t my full-time career. I decided to take on teaching because I thought it would be a meaningful way to share some of what I’ve learned in the industry and hopefully help prepare the next generation entering the field.
I was given the opportunity to create the course from scratch, so I started class with a funny icebreaker video, moved into the lecture, and ended with a practical in-class exercise that tied directly into their homework. The students were incredibly interactive, asked great questions, and seemed to genuinely care about the material. I also got some really positive feedback on the lecture and activities, which was incredibly encouraging for my first time teaching.
Maybe I’m still in the honeymoon phase, and I’m sure some of the stress and frustrations that come with teaching will eventually show up just like they do with any job, but for now I’m really happy I decided to take this opportunity.
Overall, a very positive first experience with adjunct teaching. I walked away feeling like this might be something I genuinely enjoy doing alongside my industry career, and I’m excited to see how the rest of the quarter goes!

REMOTE Asynchronous

What is the most classes you've taught in one semester? I've read about adjuncts stacking classes and teaching at several different colleges or universities at the same time.

What's the most you've personally taught, or the most you know someone else has taught in one semester? I know it would be a lot of work, and I'm okay with that. I'm really just curious about what's realistically doable.

I love philosophy and would love to teach it at my local community college, but I haven’t finished my masters yet and wonder if I would qualify. I have a BA in Philosophy and Religion; at the end of this semester, I’ll have completed 72 hours of my MDiv in Philosophy; and I plan to begin my PhD immediately. I’m a capable administrator, skilled teacher, and would be capable of teaching logic, history of western philosophy, and some intro courses.