Frequently being on the road driving to and from the classes I teach gives me the opportunity to occasionally see some fairly odd things. Most often I observe people with strange items in their trunks, on their cars or otherwise in-tow. I’ve learned to never underestimate the creativity (or, in some cases, stupidity) of people when it comes to their cars!

I decided to start documenting as many of these “moments” as possible and aptly (and, I hope, humorously) title them under the heading of “Junk in Your Trunk.” I will randomly post images as I take them or discover images I took earlier that seem to fit the bill. I am also willing to post photos anyone else takes and sends my way — so feel free to “shoot and send!”

The photo below was taken on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 while I was driving north on highway 99 en route to Bakersfield (where I was teaching at DeVry University later that afternoon).  It is a bit hard to see, but there is a car engine in the trunk of the silver Honda Civic in the foreground! I am unsure why there is a car engine in the trunk, though I was certain it was not the engine powering the car, but there it is!

Note: Unfortunately, the camera in my Palm Centro is adequate, but not always ideal. However, you can click on the photo to see a larger, and slightly clearer, version of the photo.

By coincidence — or, if you are so inclined, Divine intervention — yesterday, October 30, 2008, marked two very special events in my professional life: my first anniversary at DeVry University in Bakersfield and the day on which I learned that I was hired as an adjunct instructor by the School of Media and Communication at National University.

My tenure at DeVry has been nothing short of life altering. For me, being hired at DeVry marks the moment when I officially became a “real live” classroom teacher. Although I had already been hired to teach online courses for Axia College of University of Phoenix (with my first courses starting in June after several intense weeks of training), there was something incredibly validating about being in a classroom. I suddenly felt like a legitimate teacher – as if I had finally emerged as an educator.

I can partially thank my experience with Axia as one of the reasons why, as a relatively unproven teacher, I was hired at DeVry (though I did teach traffic school, so that must have counted for something, right?!).  Of course, I must also acknowledge Center Dean Barry J. Bailey for taking a chance on me.  His decision to let me initially teach two courses on a trial basis has fundamentally changed the course of my career (and, to be honest, my life).

Since embarking on my relatively new career in academia, each new school at which I am hired leads to another opportunity. There is something affirming and encouraging about this experience (and it is one that I hadn’t encountered for some years prior to venturing into teaching).

I have also realized how intertwined my experiences have been at every school where I have taught and am teaching: I continuously learn from each situation, thereby improving my overall aptitude as an educator. Whether it is sharing best practices with colleagues, receiving guidance from my supervisors or as simple as listening to my students, I am in a constant state of learning.

In the year since I started teaching at DeVry there I have taught 16 sections of the following business, computer and English courses (you can find more detailed descriptions of each on the page titled “My Course Descriptions” on this blog):

• BUSN-115 (Introduction to Business and Technology)
• COMP-100 (Computer Applications for Business with Lab)
• COMP-129 (PC Hardware and Software)
• ENGL-032 (Developmental Writing and Reading)
• ENGL-092 (Intermediate English)
• ENGL-112 (Composition)
• ENGL-135 (Advanced Composition)
• MGMT-303 (Principles of Management)
• MGMT-404 (Project Management)

I continue to grow and mature as an individual and instructor at DeVry and look forward to many more years at this respected and forward-thinking educational organization. I am also anticipating teaching some new courses in the coming months, which should provide added energy and excitement to my experience there.

National University promises to be another exciting step in my career development.  Once again, I have Craigslist Education and Teaching Jobs to thank for this lead — and another inspired individual, Bettina Moss, for giving me another wonderful opportunity.

Again, I can’t stress the impact that a few key individuals have had on my professional progress. Their generosity is even more notable considering that other individuals who I already knew and asked for assistance have sometimes been less than helpful. This is definitely a lesson in “paying it forward!”

As explained on it’s website, “National University is the second-largest, private, nonprofit institution of higher learning in California. Founded in 1971, National University consists of five schools and one college, including the Schools of Business and Management; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and Media and Communication; and the College of Letters and Sciences.” Additionally, National is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is also non-profit — a notable distinction.

With a wife who has taught at the elementary level, I came to know National University as a resource for individuals seeking a teaching credential and an avenue for active educators seeking advanced degrees. However, National University also offers more than 50 graduate and undergraduate degrees — with more than 1,200 courses online. 

National University courses are a quick four weeks in duration: eight four-hour classroom meetings during the week and two four-hour Saturday sessions. In comparison, DeVry courses are eight weeks in length (with one or two physical meetings a week depending on the course type) and Axia courses are nine-weeks of entirely online education. I am also teaching for another school, Florida Career College, which recently launched an online program with six-week sessions.

At first I will be teaching traditional classroom-based courses at the Los Angeles Campus(which is near Los Angeles International Airport), but eventually I might teach in a hybrid model similar to that which DeVry uses. The courses I was hired to teach include the following (though as of today I have only been scheduled to teach one section of the first course, COM-103, which is set to begin at the end of November):

• COM-103 (Oral Communication): Introduction to the principles and practices of spoken communication, with special emphasis on the skills needed to communicate effectively in the workplace. Topics include platform techniques, interpersonal communication strategies, cross-cultural approaches and small group methods.
• COM-380 (Democracy in the Information Age): A critical examination of the media and power in modern democracies. Covers theories of democratic participation and media responsibility, as measured against contemporary practices around the world. Explores effects of television news, popular access to video and electronic technologies, and global electronic networks on contemporary political and cultural discourse.

And, so it is with great gratitude that I look back to my last year of teaching at DeVry and even more excitement that I look ahead to another year of continued career development!

Last night I had an interesting and unexpected experience at the AM/PM on Ming Avenue near the 99 Freeway while getting coffee for my drive home from Bakersfield to Valencia: comped coffee! That’s right, a whole $1.39 of coffee for free! Who says good things never happen to nice people?

I had just left the DeVry Center where I had stayed late to grade assignments for the two classes I am now teaching – COMP-100 (Computer Applications for Business with Lab) and BUSN-115 (Introduction to Business and Technology) — and was “filling up” with caffeine for the 75 mile drive south. 

As I was making my coffee as “unlike” coffee as possible (adding my usual four to six packets of sweetener and six to eight small container’s of French Vanilla cream) the lights went out on the entire corner and nearby areas. At that point the clerk and I were the only people inside the building — which suddenly became eerily quiet without the constant humming of equipment that normally permeates the store.

I was unsure what to do. Despite it being dark outside and very late, I felt no great sense of urgency or panic. The clerk was busy looking for a flashlight and didn’t give me any instructions either. So, I continued making my coffee! Of course, since it was dark I had to use my cell phone as a flashlight while I mixed and stirred my drink, but all things considered it worked out well.

Of course, when I was done and asked the clerk how to pay him, he admitted that, given the circumstances there was really no way he could charge me for the coffee (the register and everything else was locked and had no power). So, I thanked him and graciously accepted my “comped coffee!”

I wonder if a free lunch is next?