- This was submitted by a dedicated faculty member who wants a fair deal for contract faculty.
From the day I began teaching academic courses in 1990 up until the present, I have always believed in quality education. When I was first hired as a contract employee, I spent weeks preparing for my first class attempting to ensure my lecture was both informative and engaging. There was no teacher training at the time, so I did my best to offer the highest quality.
As the years continued, contract after contract, I mistakenly thought that excelling in the classroom would lead to a full time job. But no-one seemed to care if I did a good job or not. No-one ever saw what I did or asked how I was doing. By the time there were actually posted vacancies, the college had gone to an ITAL and I didn't have my Master's degree. I continued bouncing between partial load and sessional while I worked on my Master's degree so that I could finally be granted an interview after 16 years of teaching! Yes - it took me 16 years to get a full time position and I continue to offer the very best that I can to my students.
It is now time to pay back. I understand the commitment of contract faculty and the stress associated with the constant uncertainty. I don't want them to wait 16 years for a full time position. I am walking the picket line to seek fairness for our contract faculty.