I was adjunct faculty at Northern Virginia Community College for 12 years, from 1974 to 1989, with a 3 year absence when we had moved to Germany. I taught a range of 5 Chemistry courses with labs, and served as Judge at Middle, High School and Regional Science Fairs. I also took computer courses at NOVA – FORTRAN, COBOL, PASCAL, Assembly Language and Linear Algebra. And then, while teaching Chemistry at NOVA, and raising my two children, Lina and Vikram, I earned my MS in Computer Science from VA Tech, specializing in Compilers and Simulation.

I would like to share a particular experience with you – in 1975 after teaching for 2 quarters, and receiving excellent evaluations from students, colleagues and administrators – one day I returned to the Chemistry office after class, and the Division Chair, Mr. Taylor and another gentleman greeted me at the door, and apologized profusely, saying “no harm or insult was intended to a fine instructor”!  I was rather mystified but took it calmly. The other gentleman was the faculty advisor to the NOVA Newspaper, The Parthian Shot. The latest edition of The Parthian Shot which had just been published and distributed to faculty, staff and students, had an article about me, and this is what they were apologizing for:

They told me that the title below is what the reporter had actually submitted.

But the Editor, fearing cultural stereotyping, had used his editorial pen to cross out “Adds Spice” and had added the comment “No Way”, intending for the reporter to revise the title.

Unfortunately, it did not go back to the reporter for a re-write of the title as intended by the Editor. Instead it went to the typesetter who replaced “Adds Spice” with “No Way” and the rest is history!

As a new teacher, it could have been devastating and a jolt to my self-confidence. Fortunately, I was able to ignore and overcome my slightly wounded ego, and focus on helping students learn, and I have had the privilege of teaching Computer Science and Chemistry to thousands of students for 40 years until I retired in September 2017!

2013 Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence

2015 Speaker at the White House              With Secretary Arne Duncan

2017  with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Governor’s Mansion

In the words of one of my heroes, Eleanor Roosevelt,
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”

And I never consent!