job titles
Lily, musing about possible careers: “When I grow up, I want to make peace on all the continents. Then I’ll retire from that job and be a dentist.” There’s a job without a fitting title (the spreading peace to all the continents bit, not the dentist bit).
I was reminded recently when I introduced myself to some fellow academics from another institution that my title is not quite fitting. Part Time Lead. What does it mean? Who knows. What do I do as Part Time Lead? I have primary responsibility for these tasks:
- Hire new adjuncts
- Coordinate the evaluation of adjuncts (new adjuncts are observed and evaluated formally every semester; after two semesters, adjuncts are formally observed and evaluated annually; the 7 full-time faculty, including me, divide up the pool of adjuncts to observe and evaluate)
- Mentor adjuncts who are new teachers, helping them develop syllabi and assignments, recommending readings, troubleshooting, etc.
- Informally observe classes of new adjuncts
- Schedule adjuncts
- Plan and facilitate professional development workshops for adjuncts on topics related to reaching writing (for example, I did a workshop on responding to student writing last semester; this semester, I’ll be facilitating a workshop on norming)
- Make sure adjuncts get appropriate training for using our CMS
- Order books through the bookstore
- Consult with department chair on about a hundred miscellaneous issues
- Stay up to date on pedagogy and composition theory and keep courses consistent with current developments in writing instruction
I do these tasks collaboratively with other full-time faculty in the English department:
- Develop curriculum
- Assess writing classes and programs
- Promote writing programs
- Promote writing across the curriculum
- Choose default textbooks for classes taught be adjuncts new to RRCC
"Part-Time Lead" doesn’t seem to adequately capture the responsibilities, does it? But titles are fraught at RRCC. My title can’t be coordinator of composition because I do collaborate on many tasks with others who don’t have a fancy title. My title can’t be coordinator of part-timers because the chair does some work with part-timers, too. I don’t know how the title of Part Time Lead came about, but I think it was a way to imply that I work with part-timers but that I am not the only one who works with part-timers. Clearly, I do a lot more than work with part-timers; since part-timers teach the vast majority of our classes, my work with part-timers goes way beyond the part-timers themselves. The department struck down any title with “composition” or “coordinator” in it.
My thinking is that any title that requires explanation is a bad title, and I have had to do a lot of explaining this year. When I first started in this position, I would introduce myself to potential new adjuncts as the Part Time Lead, and I was inevitably asked, “Oh, you’re part time?” or “You’re an adjunct, too?” And then I would launch into an explanation. Now I don’t tell people my title, if I’m thinking clearly; instead, I say, “I work with our part-time instructors,” but then I wonder how much detail I should give to indicate the type of work I do with the part-time instructors.
Am I overthinking this? Perhaps. Is there a better title for my position? Certainly. Do I know what it is? Nope.
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