The value of a 'Cultural Geographer'...

About a week ago, I was asked by the department secretary if I wanted the same summer session that I had last year. This was news to me and made me laugh as I had not been told teaching summer school was even an option. I explained that I would like some time to think it over before committing since summer school takes up a good chunk of time running until mid-June.

I'm looking for commitment. I really am. I have been on the temporary employment plan for so long that its becoming a point of stress in my life and I'm beginning (and have been for a while now) to seek creative ways out of it.

I have no idea what my status is for next year. I could be employed here full-time, part-time, or not at all. The situation becomes old when nearly every meeting with a colleague begins with "Have you begun applying for positions yet?" It should be noted that most positions in geography that I would be qualified for (i.e. non-chair positions) are not even advertised until January or February. This Christmas break, much like the previous two, I will spend a good amount of time pouring over job announcements in the hopes of finding something more permanent than a one year.

The summer school position provided me with an opportunity to be proactive with my position for next year. The school, and department for that matter, actively promote summer school. It's a money windfall for the university (and department) for a number of reasons and is particularly popular with students who are looking to get a bit ahead. This is especially true for Physical Geography, the class I would be teaching, since it counts as a 4 credit science course.

My lease runs out July 1st and if I'm not offered a position here for the following year, I will need to use the first half of the summer to find a new place to live. In other words, if the department wants me to teach, they're going to have to commit. After discussing the situation with a number of friends and family, I decided to meet with my chair and explain my situation.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with my chair. I explained my situation and shared that I would be open to the idea of teaching summer school, but not until I knew my fate. He, my chair, said he completely understood and then said... "maybe we can find a Master's student to teach that class."

So...

QUESTION: What is the true value of a 'cultural geographer' at the University of Wyoming? One with a PhD in hand?

ANSWER: One Master's student.