Call Me Professor

It all happened rather suddenly, starting with an email that landed in my box last Tuesday. The director of the Maryland Writing Project forwarded a message about unstaffed sections of English 102 and a handful of other electives to all of us T-C's (teacher consultants, i.e. graduates of the Invitational Summer Institute). The next morning, I sent an email to the English Department Chair expressing my interest and mentioning Barbara's name (at her instruction), and 24 hours later, was offered the job. I signed the contract on Friday morning, ordered books that afternoon, and have a little over a week to prepare a syllabus and be ready to greet my class on Sept. 2.

I'll be teaching one section of English 102 (otherwise known as Freshman Composition) at Towson University this fall. Twenty students, two mornings a week from 8:00 to 9:15 A.M. Yes, it's a dreaded 8:00 class...but it's better than my old start time of 7:25! And, as the department chair reminded me when I went in to fill out paperwork last week, if a student says "I don't want to be in this class anymore," just hand him/her a drop slip and say, "So long!" No obligation to keep students who just don't want to be there, unlike high school protocol.

As I was filling out the requisite paperwork, I came upon a question that asked what "salutation" I preferred. Scanning the choices on the list, which went far beyond the usual Mr./Ms./Mrs., I noticed that Professor was an option. I didn't dare check it at first, thinking there had to be something else I had to do to earn that title, but it turns out that having a Masters degree and teaching a university class is enough. Later on I went to order books, and when the woman assisting me picked up the phone to confirm the order and began, "I have Professor Heller here..." something inside of me lit up. Just like the first few times I heard other people call me Mrs. Heller after the wedding.

Mrs. Heller?
That's Professor Heller to you!