Tales and Woes of 'Layoffs': How I Came Down With Adjunctivitis PART 1

Being laid off is never fun. The first time I was laid off, I spent a year or so on the couch watching soap operas. I finally came out of my slump, when I saw one of those commercials for Zoloft, and started balling my eyes out. You know the one, the ball jumps across the screen asking if you are a loser and all; of course I related. All I did was watch All My Children. Who better to relate to a depressed little snowball bouncing on a screen. My reality was needless to say, warped. I called Kaiser right away and soon I was happy as a clam; though I am not too sure why they are happy. Perhaps it's because they spend their lives in mud and sea water? But, I digress. Prozac to the rescue! I enrolled in college, earned two degrees and pursued the next chapter of my life; teaching. I was certain that this was the greatest thing that ever happened to me...next to my wonderful family of course...and the Grateful Dead. But, this too had its problems. In fact I have in the last year come down with an ailment common to us folks trying to educate America: Adjunctivitis. The symptoms include something akin to a 'layoff,' but, can you really call it that when you periodically get the chance to teach? There is no cure; though the temporary classroom assignments help alleviate the pain. But, in all, I think that until they rid the Community College system in California, of a little thing called Tenure, I do not think there will ever be a cure.