rsfcommonplace replied to your post“*hugs you all back* Thank you~ copperbadge replied to your post “So...”
Are any of your former students in touch to say how wonderful you are? I have a teacher friend who kept her job because her former students decided to write the dean.
That’s a sound point and a number of students are- but it’s not about my job performance at all. All of my performance reviews (staff and students) are great and the program produces good students. It’s about my degree potentially not existing so me not having enough classes to teach. My degree is the only thing like it at the college- and I’m the only full time instructor in it.
I do teach in another degree- but we have huge retention issues in that major also- we’re honestly shocked it’s not the one on the chopping block. This is both from students not recognizing how challenging the degree is, students leaving early to go to University, and the other instructor.. well, driving away students. I’m not sure if that program is going to be- or should be- around for long either or if I would have enough classes to teach just with it.
There is some good news. First of all, we have to get the new students this year through the degree- so I’ll at least have a job 2018-19 school year worst case which gives me another year to find places/work on my exhibition history if need be. I met with department head today, and he doesn’t think they’ll kill the degree outright because it’s a vital connection with the University. We may make it an AA (verses AAS) or a certificate because our retention problems are the students leaving for the University (which good on them- they should). But if that happens we kill off 2 classes in the degree and four cross degree classes will have enrollment issues now that only one degree is feeding into them. So either I’ll have issues meeting my full load (5 classes a semester) or I’ll have a really hellish schedule with a lot of evening classes (6-10pm) followed by morning classes (starting between 9-10 am).
Considering the administration of my college is... a bit failurific I don’t trust them to keep it because of the connection even though it makes sense. They were a year into a non existent 5 year plan when I arrived, for example. If we have one, it’s not public because last time they asked faculty for input, we were told we were being immature and unreasonable. We still don’t have our name on a building because they can’t decide on fonts. We had about 2 million from the city stole from under out feet because we let another community college into our district and they were smart enough to lobby for it. So... I doubt their ability to see reason really.
I’m going to have a discussion with my department head on Friday after our department meeting. Basically pitch it as I need a back up plan because if they do decided to kill it, I’ll be sol come spring for anywhere to apply to. Really I’m going to try to get the heck out of dodge and if I fail- examine my choices or ramp up my exhibition work in my grace year. He’s a nice guy and I think the conversation will go alright and I need him for a reference so I have to have it. But it’s still terrifying.
