Comments:

elgan - 2006-09-24 12:18:04
You have been at this doctorate thing for a long time with an ultimate goal of having a piece of paper that will qualify you to teach in a university at a better pay scale than just lecturer. Without saying, having experience on your resumè will qualify you even more above the hordes of graduating Ph.D.s with whom you will be competing. For that reason alone I would strongly consider it. Plus, you love teaching.
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teranika - 2006-09-24 13:01:17
In the end it will be your voice - your heart - that answers this question. And I don't envy your quandary as I know just how much preparatory work a 3-hour class will be! Elgan makes a good point. Another aspect of becoming a successful lecturer is learning how to minimize your preparation for teaching while still being effective at it, thus freeing your time for other things. The sad reality is that when you become a tenure-track university professor, you will have even LESS time, because you will have many other demands on your time. But my last thought is whether your comparison with this other gentleman in a tenure track position is appropriate - it sounds as though you already have substantial teaching experience under your belt. One MORE course may not make a difference if your ultimate goal is to move elsewhere. But your decision may be different if you expect that you will be hovering in Chicago for several more years. Perhaps you need to talk with your friend at this new place and ask him what the chances are that this opportunity will come up again. Back in NY there was an extremely qualified woman who was ABD who was offered a substitute line at our college. She hemmed and hawed and finally turned it down, reasoning that she really wanted to get her thesis written so that she could apply for longer-term positions. The following year, our same department offered her a tenure-track position. I think that she made the right choice for herself. Oops, one last point. As I think of your situation from that light, I think that you are in a win-win situation. If you decide NOT to teach the course, you will be able to spend more time with AJ and you will have the comfort of completing your thesis and focusing on your research, comfortable in the knowledge that you already have substantial teaching experience. If you decide TO teach the course, you will make valuable connections, get to work with neato-keen colleagues nearby, and gain valuable teaching (and assoc. time management) skills that have proven successful for others in the past. You win either way, so go with your heart.
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lemming - 2006-09-24 17:58:49
I about about 30 pages ahead of the students in one of my classes. I have a general topic for class tomorrow, but haven't yet figured out the details. I'm getting better at winging it as we go along, but it does mean that I'm a bit raw in the hours before class starts. It's making me a better teacher, and hopefully will result in further employment. OTOH, this is AJ's last year before first grade and all day away from you. He may not remember every skating trip (nor will you!) but will remember the emotion, the bond, the laughter, etc. Such is not to be sneexzed at. Perhaps the class could meet at the skating rink?
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