Teaching at the college level can have its rewards, but it also has a downside: teaching introductory classes to freshmen and sophomores.
I've been teaching college courses off and on for over 20 years, usually as an adjunct professor. At first I was enthusiastic and grateful for every teaching assignment that came my way. That began to change for two reasons. First, the constant repetition involved with introductory courses was boring; second, with seniority I was able to teach more and more classes designed for advanced undergraduates. The older, more advanced students made classes interesting and challenging, not only for me but for other students in the class as well.
It should not come as a surprise to you that Teaching Assistants (TAs) teach most of the introductory courses at big universities. Senior instructors and professors are, in many ways, wasting their time teaching Business 101 or Marketing 105. Those courses focus on the terminology and concepts that the students need before taking more substantive courses as advanced undergraduates.
I did all I could to avoid teaching freshmen and sophomores. I would plead with the Dean or offer to work on committees rather than deal with 19- and 20-year-old students who asked mind-numbing questions. Sometimes the tactic would work, but at other times I found myself again in front of 30 or so students who did not know about supply and demand curves or the difference between strong and weak currencies.
I longed for opportunities to teach seniors or graduate students who had a good grasp of business fundamentals and who could come up with thought-provoking questions.
Well, I'm retired from teaching now. It will be up to others to pick up where I left off.
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