--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Adjunct teachers are the professorial…" description: "\"“Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the migrant Mexican farm laborers hired during harvest. If you can get a good contract at the same..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ruth-ozeki-2896_academia_adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-eq_272585.jpg" --- # Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the… ![“Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the migrant Mexican farm laborers hired during harvest. If you can get a good contract at the same farm every year, where the farmer pays you on time and doesn't cheat or abuse you, then it's in your best interest to show up consistently from…” quote by Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ruth-ozeki-2896_academia_adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-eq_272585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ruth-ozeki-2896_academia_adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-eq_272585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b8/ruth-ozeki-2896_academia_adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-eq_272585.jpg) > ““Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the migrant Mexican farm laborers hired during harvest. If you can get a good contract at the same farm every year, where the farmer pays you on time and doesn't cheat or abuse you, then it's in your best interest to show up consistently from year to year.”” [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adjunct professors face precarious, seasonal work similar to migrant labor, highlighting systemic inequities in academia. **In simple terms:** Adjuncts work under unstable, seasonal contracts. Key Takeaway Advocate for fair, stable academic employment. Themes labor inequality academia Mood critical reflective Type social political When to use this quote - university hiring - faculty negotiations - student advocacy - policy reform Key Concepts precarious employment gig economy educational policy Questions to Reflect On - What policies could protect adjuncts? - How can institutions value adjunct contributions? A Different Perspective Improving conditions may require structural changes beyond individual contracts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academia/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Mexicans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexicans/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) ## Related quotes > [Learning is but an adjunct to ourself, And where we are our learning likewise is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/learning-is-but-an-adjunct-to-ourself-and-where-we-are-our-learning/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Happiness is not an end - it is only a means, and adjunct, a consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/happiness-is-not-an-end-it-is-only-a-means-and-adjunct-a-consequence/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [He might have proved a useful adjunct, if not an ornament to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/he-might-have-proved-a-useful-adjunct-if-not-an-ornament-to-society/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [“When the United States wants cheap labor, Mexicans respond. 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Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Canadians shouldn't come down to Southern California and take jobs away from Mexicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-ralph-ross/canadians-shouldn-t-come-down-to-southern-california-and-take-jobs/) Stanley Ralph Ross > [We are Americans when we go to war, and when we return, we are Mexicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-chavez/we-are-americans-when-we-go-to-war-and-when-we-return-we-are-mexicans/) [Dennis Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-chavez/) > [Why do Mexicans walk around school like they own the place? Their dads built it and their moms clean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/why-do-mexicans-walk-around-school-like-they-own-the-place-their-dads/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [During grade school, we moved to a white, working-class suburb in San Diego, and there were no Mexicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-alberto-urrea/during-grade-school-we-moved-to-a-white-working-class-suburb-in-san/) [Luis Alberto Urrea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-alberto-urrea/) > [The agricultural fields throughout the Southwest, those jobs needed to be filled, and who were the ones to do it? It was the Mexicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cabral/the-agricultural-fields-throughout-the-southwest-those-jobs-needed-to/) [Richard Cabral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cabral/) > [For Mexicans, for Americans, we are all united by 3,000 kilometers of border, with neighboring states - ten neighbors states, and with population over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-pena-nieto/for-mexicans-for-americans-we-are-all-united-by-3-000-kilometers-of/) [Enrique Pena Nieto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-pena-nieto/) > [I will always listen to my fellow New Mexicans and look forward to learning from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ray-lujan/i-will-always-listen-to-my-fellow-new-mexicans-and-look-forward-to/) [Ben Ray Lujan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-ray-lujan/) > [Never in a million years would I imagine myself being in Mexico. After all, who would? Most Mexicans spend the bulk of their day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-powers/never-in-a-million-years-would-i-imagine-myself-being-in-mexico-after/) [Kenny Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-powers/) > [ I mean, you take a look at this, it's one way. \[Mexicans\] get the jobs, they get the factories, they get the cash, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-mean-you-take-a-look-at-this-it-s-one-way-mexicans-get-the-jobs/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Ruth Ozeki > [“Time plays tricks on mothers. It teases you with breaks and brief caesuras, only to skip wildly forward, bringing breathtaking changes to your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/time-plays-tricks-on-mothers-it-teases-you-with-breaks-and-brief/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Everything seemed to grow blacker as I sat there, except for the fireflies whose tiny pulsing lights drew arcs through the dark summer air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/everything-seemed-to-grow-blacker-as-i-sat-there-except-for-the/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [That's what it feels like when I write, like I have this beautiful world in my head, but when I try to remember it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/that-s-what-it-feels-like-when-i-write-like-i-have-this-beautiful/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen,” he said, without looking up. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/premonitions-are-coincidences-waiting-to-happen-he-said-without/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“As someone who has to teach for a living, I shouldn't be saying this, but the planet can do quite well without books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/as-someone-who-has-to-teach-for-a-living-i-shouldn-t-be-saying-this/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/life-is-fleeting-don-t-waste-a-single-moment-of-your-precious-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/do-not-think-that-time-simply-flies-away-do-not-understand-flying-as/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZAZEN First of all, you have to sit down, which you’re probably already doing. The traditional way is to sit on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/instructions-for-zazen-first-of-all-you-have-to-sit-down-which-you-re/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“this feeling of alive is not so easy to experience. Even although life is a thing that seems to have some kind of weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/this-feeling-of-alive-is-not-so-easy-to-experience-even-although-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Writing is solitary. You spend so much time alone and in your own mind, telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/writing-is-solitary-you-spend-so-much-time-alone-and-in-your-own-mind/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [It was really a means-of-production problem. It costs so much to make films. With a novel, you can write the whole thing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/it-was-really-a-means-of-production-problem-it-costs-so-much-to-make/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [My mind is like a gyre, and odd juxtapositions happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/my-mind-is-like-a-gyre-and-odd-juxtapositions-happen/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [She missed the built environment of New York City. It was only in an urban landscape, amid straight lines and architecture, that she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/she-missed-the-built-environment-of-new-york-city-it-was-only-in-an/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [When I'm writing a novel, which is what I like to write, I get up early, sit zazen, make a pot of green tea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/when-i-m-writing-a-novel-which-is-what-i-like-to-write-i-get-up-early/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) [Explore all 145 Ruth Ozeki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## More Academia quotes > [“Word spread quickly: The visitor wished to address the scholars. 'What can he want?' they wondered, streaming into the Royal Theater. Attendance was voluntary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/word-spread-quickly-the-visitor-wished-to-address-the-scholars-what/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [One of the things that's great about New York is that it is not a one-industry town. It has education, academia, the service industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/one-of-the-things-that-s-great-about-new-york-is-that-it-is-not-a-one/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [ “See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. \[That\] the fundamental treason to the mind ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/see-that-the-mind-is-honest-first-the-rest-may-follow-or-not-as-god/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [The approach of intellect or noesis will forever be an effete and limited sort of thing by contrast with the vigor and color of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/the-approach-of-intellect-or-noesis-will-forever-be-an-effete-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [One can hardly appreciate how academia has perverted its highest tasks and "ideals" without pondering long and hard the implications of Jacques Barzun's House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/one-can-hardly-appreciate-how-academia-has-perverted-its-highest/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [Practically everybody (1) overweighs the stuff that can be numbered, because it yields to the statistical techniques they’re taught in academia, and (2) doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/practically-everybody-1-overweighs-the-stuff-that-can-be-numbered/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [The number one problem in academia today is not ignorant students but ignorant professors, who have substituted narrow "expertise" and "theoretical sophistication" (a preposterous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-number-one-problem-in-academia-today-is-not-ignorant-students-but/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/almost-all-scholarly-research-carries-practical-and-political/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [There is this tremendous body of knowledge in the world of academia where extraordinary numbers of incredibly thoughtful people have taken the time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/there-is-this-tremendous-body-of-knowledge-in-the-world-of-academia/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [What do you call a co-worker these days? Neither teammate nor confederate will do, and partner is too legalistic. 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