Monday: The one thing that is very challenging for me is something that has always been challenging. Knowing when to turn away from work. How many hours should an adjunct put in? We are part time at the college yet we spend many hours correcting papers, making lesson plans, etc. When is it too much? I believe there is some kind of a parameter under contract agreements in our adjunct handbook but it was a little dense for me to get through so this time I think that I am going to ask some of the other adjuncts how much time they put in each week.

I want to do a great job but I don’t want to become overwhelmed with grading papers, and all. So, I need to have a number which will make me feel better because if you have a ball park range, you can control some of the anxiety and finish prep work more easily. So tomorrow in class, I am going to introduce “pathos, ethos, and logos” used by writers and then I am going to end with how these are used in commercials through the use of youtube. There are some very clever ways these concepts are used and it will give the students a visual reference. I feel like English 122 (Advanced Academic Writing) continues as an introduction to college work load and prepares them to better assimilate when they have begin their upper level courses. I would enjoy the opportunity to teach English Literature at a higher level. There is a course called “Monsters in Literature” which sounds right up my alley.

Wednesday: So today is correcting quizzes. I arrived home at 2 and have spent about 2.5 hours correcting papers, planning Friday’s lesson, etc. There are a million details to attend to but now it is time to log off and do some household chores. Talk later.

Thursday morning: Legal papers arrive from food network for permission to film us! I feel like the youtube policeman caught on camera while on patrol singing lyrics to Taylor Swift’s song!! ‘Shake it off’…not sure how they found us but happy. I will leave later for our store but I send out an email to a local director who I have invited to come speak to my English class about acting, plays, etc. I bring a literature book anticipating a slow day. But then one never knows. I anticipate spending another hour or hour and a half rereading material, etc. And for all the creative teachers out there…this does not include all the aha minutes you will experience through the day….

Friday morning: further discussion of pathos, ethos, logos. We discuss assumptions of the public toward policemen. I show them the youtube of the Dover, Delaware police cam showing the policeman mimicking the words to Tyler Swifts’s song ‘Shake it Off.’ To counter the argument of assumptions, I ask them to think about his day on patrol hoping to draw some empathy toward his challenging role as a policeman patrolling the streets.

About the Author
Mrs. Eve Dobbins has a BA in English Literature from SUNY Stony Brook. Her MA is in TESOL from the University of South Florida. She began her career as an ESOL tutor at Berlitz in New York. Ms. Dobbins is public school certified in multiple subjects and has taught all levels of public education. In addition to her experience in public education, she has taught ESOL strategies for elementary education teachers at the collegiate level. Ms. Dobbins also has teaching experience at multiple community colleges before accepting her current position at ST. Leo. Her experience does not stop at U.S schools, as she has also taught at different levels in South Korea, France, and most recently the United Arab Emirates. When not teaching, she enjoys baking cupcakes (she is owner of Cupcake Cache LLC in Tampa), reading, and writing a children’s book about desserts of different countries.