[D.J.H. Bryant]

Hi Shaun,

First, full disclosure, I teach part-time at a university but not in the English Dept. I have, however, taught undergraduate linguistics and trying to teach phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, etc. has similar challenges.

So, here are my thoughts, for what they are worth. Based on your previous job history, you've probably got some marketable skills. You may want to consider landing a non-teaching job at your university. Hear me out on this. Most schools offer full-time employees free tuition. Let them pay you a decent wage while you earn your MA. Depending on the job you find, you may actually be making more than the assistant and associate profs on the tenure track. During your MA studies, you'll get a feel for the department and your day job will provide you with an entirely different education about the facts of life in higher education.

Then, once you have your MA or are close to it, you can make a much more informed decision about what you want. Being an adjunct has its pros and cons. First, if you have a day job that pays the bills, you can teach mainly for the enjoyment of it. There is freedom in that. Publish or perish, for example, won't keep you up at night. Depending on the politics of the department, you may be treated like a second-class citizen, but as the tenure-track folks jockey for Power! Prestige! and influence over life-and-death matters in the curriculum committee, you can keep your eye on the ball and teach. (Actually, it was Bill invoking the curriculum committee that pushed me to respond here.)

As for teaching the best and brightest, I can only tell you that I get the most satisfaction out of teaching the students who have to struggle with the material for a little while before they get it. The best and brightest will succeed whether it's me or someone else doing the teaching. But witnessing that moment when a student gets it is my drug of choice and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm hopelessly addicted. If you've already had that experience, you know what I mean. If you haven't yet, just wait. You will--and then God help you.

Regards,
Devlin