SCI-CMP-SCIENCELITERACYWe’re well into the Spring Semester here in South Australia. Or the second semester. Or ‘Study Period 5′ as it’s prosaically termed by university officials. It is the semester in which I earn my keep – coordinating the large lecture course I was hired to teach. But I’ve also taken on a number of other bits and pieces here and there – human physiology, pathology, clinical chemistry. I know little or nothing about human physiology or pathology and I nearly failed biochemistry and organic chemistry as an undergraduate. I’m a geneticist, a student of Mendel and Morgan and McClintock and a plant geneticist at that. These other disciplines, human biomedical sciences, are far from my comfort zone.

But I’m also a teacher. And – without pretense or arrogance - I’m a pretty good one. With a text book, a laser pointer, Microsoft PowerPoint and a week or so to prepare, I can whip up a decent lecture on pretty much any topic. I can stand at the front of a lecture hall and drill the salient points home. I can amuse and inform. As a frequent public speaker, I know all the tricks to charm a crowd. In my experience, that’s the biggest hurdle to being an effective teacher at the university level. I’ve spent the last few years figuring out how to get to 18 – 21 year olds and what it means is that I do my job well.

And, in the last year and a bit, I’ve realized that I absolutely love it. I love the university environment. The independence that comes with my position, the manicured university campus, the constant interaction with keen and bright young adults. It is an invigorating work environment and one that I’m cherishing on a daily basis.

San Francisco Area Teachers Protest Pink SlipsWhen I decided to do a Ph.D. it was because I wanted to be a university professor. I idolized some of the people who taught me in university. The political science professor that showed me the benefits of socialism and Left wing politics. The Southern Literature professor that taught the dark beauty of the Southern Gothic. A young physicist who nearly peeled me away from the life sciences. The University of Georgia geneticist who was able to express her passion for maize genetics in such a way that it became my ambition to study the same thing. And my Ph.D. supervisors – two of the smartest geneticists I’ve met to date - who enabled me to turn that ambition into a teaching position here in Australia.

The problem is that mine is a temporary position. The reality of the modern university is that the ‘teacher’ is a dying breed. Faculty members – lecturers – have to keep their feet planted firmly in two camps – research and teaching. Research brings the money in, research brings the news attention and thus more money, research keeps the government happy. And thus, more money. Teaching – at most major universities – is a necessary nuisance that  interferes with faculty research.

One of the many things I learned during my time at Oxford is that I’m not a very good researcher. I’m not driven by that aspect of science. I don’t enjoy doing it and I’m not good at it. When I started at my current university it was made clear – and fairly so – that unless I was willing to do the work to get a research program up and running that my appointment would be only temporary. The university was happy with my work, however, and they gave me another year. They are still happy with my work and I hope they’re going to give me one more.

Socrates_teachingThat’s what this semester is all about – the voluntary extra work - convincing my employer that this is a fundamental truth and that they need to keep me around. My contract comes to an end at the end of the year. Again. And again I need an extension, another year.

Always in the back of my mind, I’ve had to deal with the axe that is waiting somewhere down the road. If it doesn’t come after this year, it will almost definitely come after next. There are a couple of other universities in town and some technical schools as well, but at some point the tertiary teaching well is going to run dry. I’ve spent the last year or so trying to come up with a long term plan. I flirted with industry – a relationship that didn’t go very well. I’m a born public servant, I’m afraid. I’ve toyed with going back and getting an M.B.A. – to maximize my potential for the biotech industry, but I just don’t have the cutthroat tempermant to excel in the business world. I’ve thought about trying to find a way to write for a living, but I’ve got a family to support these days and I’m not in a position to take a lot of risks.

So, ignoring advice from my attorney, I’ve decided to start working toward my certification as a secondary school teacher - yep, after two degrees down I get to go back to school again. I’m not sure how I feel about teaching high school. I’ve heard mixed reports. But if I’m going to be a teacher with a stable job, chances are it is going to have to be in a high school.

If nothing else, it will be an adventure.

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