Last Wednesday I signed the contract to be a physics lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The position is full time, but only for 1 year. I am not so excited about the job itself, as I often dread the preparation it takes to give a talk in front of an audience. I am thankful for a job, but I think my attitude is not as thankful as it ought to be. Please pray that God would enable me to work with all my heart as for the Lord, not as for men, as it says in Colossians 3:23.
I would also like prayer because I seem to be caught in the middle of a friendly turf war between the physics and engineering departments. Apparently, the engineering department teaches its own basic physics courses, but the physics department feels that physics classes should be taught by physicists, not engineers. I suspect the motivations driving the departmental politics are pecuniary in nature, since the engineering department has been growing substantially the past several years. The physics department hopes that all the incoming engineering students will eventually have to take physics classes through the physics department.
Anyway, the head of the department is trying to arrange for me to teach a physics course in the engineering department. I said that I would be willing to teach the course, but I am concerned that my load for this semester will be quite burdensome. If I teach the engineering course, I will be teaching two courses and four labs, for a total of 10 credit hours. This amount may not seem like much, but since I would be teaching two courses I have never taught before, this load is daunting to me.
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I’ll be praying for you.
Congrats on the job!
Congratulations Seth! You’ve been blessed with having too much to do! Its rare in contracting that I have a balanced schedule of jobs. Either there are holes in my schedule (which threaten loss of income) or too much to handle with not enough time. God always answers in some way or another to meet the need. We’ll be praying that God will strengthen your resolve and that you’ll find encouragement and enjoyment in the work ahead.
We are praying for you to be able to balance your time so that you do not wear yourself out. The jealousy between departments may give you fits, but be your self and depend on the Lord. Grandpa Tom
We’re so glad that you have a job, and we will be praying for you. If things seem difficult (office politics aside), don’t be discouraged. The first year of teaching is the toughest. After that it gets easier.
Great news on the teaching job. And at home too! You can be confident God will supply all your needs.
I’m so glad you’ll be here for a year! I’ll be praying that your job goes well.
How was your first day of teaching classes, Seth?