“I think about the teachers and mentors who shaped me, who put in the time and effort to help me get where I am today. Their work mattered. But I also see the reality of being an educator now – especially as an adjunct. Passion doesn’t pay the bills, and dedication doesn’t guarantee stability.”
Working in education is working for the future. Every moment I spend with students is an investment in their growth, a chance to help them become a better version of who they were yesterday. I think that’s why we become educators – to guide, challenge, and inspire. Seeing that growth firsthand is what makes this work so rewarding.
But as I dedicate my time and energy to helping students build their futures, I can’t ignore the uncertainty of my own.
I think about the teachers and mentors who shaped me, who put in the time and effort to help me get where I am today. Their work mattered. But I also see the reality of being an educator now – especially as an adjunct. Passion doesn’t pay the bills, and dedication doesn’t guarantee stability. My life is dictated by financial uncertainty. I never know how many courses I’ll be offered from semester to semester, so I take whatever I can get. I’m constantly considering other career options, despite loving what I do, because at the end of the day, I need to pay my students loans and rent is due. The idea of ever owning a home is completely unfathomable – never mind the thought of one day being able to raise a family. The future I once imagined for myself has become something I am forced to let go of, not because I lack the ability or desire, but because the reality of this profession makes it impossible.
There’s an old Greek proverb that says, “”A society grows when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”” That’s what education is meant to be – an investment in something larger than ourselves, a commitment to building a better place for those who come after us. But how can we expect to nurture the future when the very people planting those trees are struggling now? If we truly believe in education, if we value the work that educators do, then we need to do more than just acknowledge it – we need to invest in it. Because when we fail to support those who dedicate their lives to learning, we aren’t just failing educators. We’re failing everyone.