a half-baked idea...

I've been thinking about not teaching full time
...because I value time more than money.

I want time to read, write, be guiltfree on a beach on a Sunday (grading day!), do art.
15 essays fewer a week means over 6 hours of additional free time -- that's huge! That's an entire Sunday afternoon reading Baldwin instead of essays on "Othello" by adolescents who think they can analyze a man's internalized racism in two double-spaced pages.

I mentioned the idea to my department chair today. As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a little scared. The idea is now out there in the world; it's a real possibility now.

It sounds simple maybe...

It's not.

If this doesn't work financially, and I am finding that I am not able to make ends meet, I can't just get a job at a cafe. I can't temp. I can't register as a sub. I am on a work visa, and the only employer that can -legally- give me money for my work is my current employer.

If I commit to being part time and it doesn't quite work out the way I am hoping it will...well, I guess there is always dog walking and baby sitting and tutoring folks on Craigslist for cash.

Yes, the idea of going part time and voicing it in front of my department chair scared me, oddly...and that is precisely how come I think I need to consider the option.


(Any comments?)