Choosing Battles

I don't mind being a pain in the ass -- for a good reason. Conflict is not my favorite thing, and I not only try to keep the peace in most situations, but also am often the peacemaker for others. But -- and I'm about to be uncharacteristically profane -- today was not the day to fuck with me. I'm in the midst of grading finals, telling rogue students that in fact the rules do apply equally to them, and taking care of some estate issues for my mom's house. In addition, I'm feeling super-emotional about a variety of things I don't want to get into. So as soon as I got my fall teaching schedule -- which, as I told the dean, couldn't be more inconvenient -- I was on the phone insisting that my classes be closer together and/or that another class be added in between. As my schedule stands, there is a nearly four-hour gap between the end of my first class and the beginning of the next.

I could tell that the dean was busy; I can't imagine the hell that scheduling must be! But I also think it's in the college's best interest to keep adjuncts happy. Despite that belief, I also understand that there are probably many teachers waiting in line to get an opportunity to take a few classes. Even with my many years of teaching experience, it took nearly six months for me to get an interview. Forcing the schedule issue means walking a fine line. After my phone call (from which I got little satisfaction), I had a brief email volley with the dean, which ended up with something of a compromise: She will ask another instructor to change days with me so I can have a better schedule, but it will have to wait until she has finished coding fall classes and has made sure that all summer classes "make". (If there are fewer than a certain number of students, the class is cancelled.)

There are ways I could entertain myself and/or help students during a three-hour-and-forty-five-minute break, but I'm still not inclined to accept the schedule. I agreed to teach a Saturday class -- I'm up early anyway; I might as well earn some money -- and I'll keep that one and maybe one of the others. This is a battle worth fighting.