Professor Pam?

I'm going to take a few minutes to talk about work so feel free to skip this post and come back when I have something more interesting to impart. Also, I know that the economy is terrible everywhere and I'm lucky to have a job, so I'm not complaining.

So anyway. For, oh about 10 years, (let's just call it the Bush years) there's been cut-backs at work and budgets cuts and we are at a point now where any kind of pay rise doesn't even come close to covering inflation. The dept. I work in has been whittled away to the very bones of existence and still the cuts keep coming. My job has been on the line for about 6 months and it was a cold reality that I might lose it. Even with my boss fighting for me and people from industry writing letters and such, the word was that I was very much "valued", but if there's no money there's no money right. There is barely any money to cover the Professors.

This is the reason we did not go home to England and spend $5,000. Also the reason I haven't slept in 6 months and I've been a pain in the arse with my family.

Then along came a lifeline in the form of more teaching. I teach already but this new role will have me teaching all year. And not just teaching any class but the biggest class. One hundred and fifteen students to be exact. Both semesters, so all year basically. I was given 1-weeks notice and some great help from previous professors and I just jumped right in. Actually that fits my style. I like jumping in and getting things done. And I'm loving it, I really am. I'm meeting students from all across the university and I'm learning new things myself.

One of my favourite things about this class is that there are a lot of international students with all different accents and languages and they call me "Professor" even though I'm not one (and I don't say I am, honest!). Today one of the girls came to find me after class at 5.15pm as I was walking to my car and she shouted "please wait, Professor!" and I thought right then, that does it. I'm tired of telling them I am not a professor so I'll just let them carry on. So there you are, just gave myself a Doctorate. In the meantime I better get that bloody PhD finished. Hopefully before I'm wearing a wig and a pair of Depends at graduation.