Twinges

There's a lot in the newspaper these days about higher education and the worth of various college teachers. It's a topic Fio dodges because she herself got stung by it.

Yes, in a past life, Fiorella taught English in a small rural community college. She has a good educational background, knows her stuff, and was popular with the students. Every day she drove an hour up the freeway to the college and an hour back home. She was dedicated.

The division director and department chairman were dedicated too--dedicated to getting rid of any woman who was more knowledgeable and more popular than they were. One by one, they picked off three of us, Fio being the last to go because she fought it legally. (And recently a fourth over-educated female has been axed.) But nontenured college teachers have few legal rights--they teach at the whim of their employers.

Fio has recovered and is embarked on a new career, but she still has a few tender spots, which is why she skips the newspaper stories on higher education. On the other hand, as an at-home writer, she sure is saving on the gas money.