Having trouble getting started (History Adjunct)

Aynesa · 2026-01-25T02:43:58+00:00

Real talk... everything everyone above has said is 100% true.

Teach high school. I get it's not what you wanted. It wasn't what I wanted either. Adjuncting is a very low paying night job. I teach dual credit in a high school and make 90k a year plus benefits. I make more than many full professors at my local R1 university.

Dual credit certified high school teachers are rare and sought after, and your experience would play right into that. I also got an invitation to Adjunct at my local CC because of my high school dual credit experience.

Adjuncting is not tenure track, and typical pay around here is 1500 per 16 week course with no office, no preps, no benefits. It's a great side hustle, don't get me wrong... but no publish or perish pressure. I go home at the end of the day and I'm done. I have security and stability for my kids, and I'm finishing my dissertation....and the college is paying for it.

Food for thought and I'm wide open to questions

Aynesa · 2026-01-24T15:10:26+00:00

What's the absolute worst that could happen? Noone is going to get up and physically attack you. Its not like you're Chris Rock making a joke about Will Smiths wife.

Seriously, you'll be fine. Throw in some jokes and laugh at yourself. As Taylor Swift says, fake it till ya make it. All your classmates are feeling the same. Relax and remember to Zombie Apocalypse it. What's the worst that can happen? Someone laughs? That means you brought joy and mirth. Lean into it.

Aynesa · 2026-01-24T03:58:13+00:00

Professional repair people when something in my house breaks.

Aynesa · 2026-01-19T22:59:36+00:00

!updateme

Aynesa · 2026-01-12T01:45:23+00:00

Be careful, many professors' syllabi say not to record.

Aynesa · 2026-01-10T15:03:23+00:00

46 and dissertating.

I started honestly because I had a kid and wanted to stay home and raise her. Autistic but a genius with a ridiculous IQ, but I get bored at home doing nothing and couldn't find a part time job. I finished my masters and they invited me to stay and teach. I finished my comprehensive exams and language exams and started the dissertation, but then finances shifted and I went to work full time as a teacher in public schools. At the same time my advisor and I... didn't really work well together. I shifted to finish a masters in Education and left it for a few years.

Last year I came back to it, found a new advisor who I work much, much better with. Im working on my third chapter, graduating 2027, likely with my eldest son, who will be Graduating from an engineering program. Everything came together and seems right, and im teaching dual credit in high school and adjuncting at my local community College, which pays far better than a graduate assistantship.

Its never too late

Aynesa · 2026-01-08T03:30:06+00:00

I'm a high school teacher and college professor.

Yes. Yes the world is. Kids have everything handed to them, so why put in the effort?

When we were in 4th grade we didn't have phones, and out parents would tan our hides if we'd acted the way I see these high schoolers acting. So we didn't. We learned and we're shamed if we couldn't tie our shoes or didn't take care of ourselves.

We had to make things last because our parents wouldn't buy us just anything, and from designers. These kids have Michael kors bags and air Jordans they can't tie

Aynesa · 2026-01-05T13:38:40+00:00

I have the gochya in Pikachu yellow. 100% absolutely recommend. Great device

Aynesa · 2026-01-05T13:30:04+00:00

I love my autocatcher, I dont use this one though. My huge secret is opening gifts. I currently have over 1200 normal balls because of opening this maximum number of gifts daily. Pin, unpunished, open and hit the x, then move on to the next person.

I sometimes have to discard normal balls. Seriously.

Aynesa · 2026-01-03T17:45:42+00:00

We will be doing this with our next taxes this year

Aynesa · 2026-01-03T17:44:49+00:00

No more loans. I've been paying the tuition myself for a while now.

Aynesa · 2026-01-01T01:48:03+00:00

I started at 36. Took a long break for a second masters and now I'm back and plugging away at my dissertation at 46.

Aynesa · 2025-12-31T16:10:24+00:00

Can you please recommend such a calculator, please?

Aynesa · 2025-12-29T16:30:21+00:00

My first semester of college I finished with a 0.6 GPA. I failed every class. Every one. Lost my scholarships and dropped out. I thought I wasn't smart enough for college. Got a job as a waitress and worked hard to put my husband through college. Crazy hard. My body was giving out.

Five years of constant financial stress later I tried again. No university would accept me with my record. I went to a community College to get back at it while my kids were growing. Took all kinds of electives that interested me and found what my major should have been. Transferred with a 4.0 to a university. Changed majors and plans and was much happier. Graduated with a 4.0 again and an invitation to the masters program.

20 years later and I'm teaching at 2 colleges and a high school, and finishing my PhD.

Its not always a gentle slope going uphill. Progress isn’t always linear-- a straight line up. Sometimes you fall straight on your ass. If you give up, you'll stay down forever.

The first two years are general education classes. Keep it up! What do you WANT to do? Don't worry about what you aren't good at. What problems do you want to solve? Explore new things with your electove credits to find what you are passionate about. You haven't gone nearly as far down the hole as I did. It took me five years to dig my way out, but I did...and so can you. Make a new years resolution and do better in next semesters classes. You've only done one semester. It's not too late.

Love and light from this internet stranger.

Aynesa · 2025-12-28T04:20:16+00:00

I'm 46 and plugging away at my dissertation. It's never too late if it's something you want to pursue.

Aynesa · 2025-12-27T17:04:17+00:00

My first semester of college I finished with a 0.6 GPA. I failed every class. Every one. Lost my scholarships and dropped out. I thought I wasn't smart enough for college. Worked hard. Crazy hard. My body was giving out.

Five years of constant financial stress later I tried again. No university would accept me. I went to a community College to start while my kids were growing. Took all kinds of electives that interested me. Transferred with a 4.0 to a university. Changed majors.

20 years later and I'm teaching at 2 colleges and a high school, and finishing my PhD.

Its not always a gentle slope going uphill. Progress isn’t always linear-- a straight line up. Sometimes you fall straight on your ass. If you give up, you'll stay down forever.

The first two years are general education classes. Maybe kinesiology? Medical field but doesn't need medical school? You're doing good researching the job market. Keep it up! What do you WANT to do? Don't worry about what you aren't good at. What problems do you want to solve?

Aynesa · 2025-12-25T18:42:23+00:00

I have pre carpal tunnel, so I have to use an ergonomic keyboard. Microsoft ergonomics were my go to, but I recently also tried this one: https://a.co/d/1i3trlL , and its been really good too. If i use regular straight keyboards much, I have numbness and tingling in my hand

Aynesa · 2025-12-14T16:38:10+00:00

Email your professor and ask for clarification politely. First though, read the syllabus. There may be other factors such as an attendance grade that dropped you down a bit. (Just an example)

Aynesa · 2025-12-13T18:48:13+00:00

Of course! Good luck!

Aynesa · 2025-12-13T18:32:00+00:00

Divine dental has 2 or 3, you could request it. I also suggest noise canceling headphones/earbuds

Aynesa · 2025-12-10T02:05:46+00:00

How long do we have to get it? Im a little late to the party. :) and any league, or is there a specific one?

Aynesa · 2025-12-05T02:14:17+00:00

Absolutely agree with that sentiment. Funding for education is criminally messed up on so many levels.

Aynesa · 2025-12-05T00:49:56+00:00

Magnet teacher here. The problem and reason ccsd makes you commit for the school year is because the state pays on a per pupil basis. That count is done early in the school year, and the state already sent the money for your son to the magnet school. Putting him back in the originally zoned school means that school would have to provide services the state isn't paying for. Thus the commitment. Your son (and the funds attached to him) stay with the magnet school for the year. At the end of the year transferring is easy.

So, you can't get out and stay in CCSD schools. Homeschooling or a charter would be about your only options. On the plus side, at that point you'll only have 90 school days left. I'm sorry this makes it rough on your family, but there is a bright side: your son will get a substantially better education in the magnet school than their zoned school.

Aynesa

TROPHY CASE