“Had I been fairly compensated all these years, I may not have had to take on extra classes. This would have allowed me to get more of my work done while at work. It would have given me the flexibility to make better decisions about how to do right by my students while also balancing my time with my children.”
I am the daughter of an immigrant father who dreamed of a brighter future for his children. Immigrant stories often entail struggle and sacrifice. Mine was no different. It wasn’t easy getting here, and I am reminded of this fact at the start of every semester when I meet my students and hear their stories of sacrifice and struggle. My students overcome so many personal and financial hurdles just to be in school. To this day standing in front of a classroom at the beginning of the semester gives me jitters: will I be able to deliver to my students what my course promises them? Will I be able to help them on their own journey to success? Will I mess up?
I have spent countless hours working on my syllabi, designing active learning strategies, figuring out how to integrate technology into my practice, and offering meaningful feedback on essay after essay. I have done this while also teaching extra classes to make ends meet and raising three children in a traditional South Asian household. In my family, I was the one who cooked and drove the minivan to the children’s soccer practice, basketball games, swimming lessons and much, much more. It wasn’t until my children went to bed that I started doing my planning and grading. This meant that I often stayed up late to get my work done. It meant that I graded papers on the soccer field, at the Dunkin Donuts near the Sunday school where my children attended Koran classes, and while parked outside their school waiting for one child or another to finish their after-school activity.
There were times when I did not go to my first-born child’s orientation days because it fell on the same day as the Opening Day at Bristol. I sometimes missed parent-teacher appointments because I was with a student who could only meet after his own work schedule to get feedback on his research paper. And as my daughter will remind me, I sometimes sent her to baseball practice and games with my neighbor just so I could get a little grading done.
Even though I am a seasoned professor, I still prioritize my teaching. I graduated in 2024 with a second master’s degree, this time in fine arts. This was a challenging undertaking as I had to do the coursework while teaching full-time not to mention the financial burden of the tuition bills. Pursuing the MFA re-energized my teaching and helped me to stay focused on what matters most to me as a community college professor – my students. I know that fair compensation can have a similar effect. Had I been fairly compensated all these years, I may not have had to take on extra classes. This would have allowed me to get more of my work done while at work. It would have given me the flexibility to make better decisions about how to do right by my students while also balancing my time with my children.