Jean Waggoner and friends from academia expose the harsh realities faced by adjunct faculty, the majority of college and university instructors in America.

In The Freeway Flyer and the Life of the Mind, Jean Waggoner and a cohort of voices from the academic trenches confront a growing but often ignored crisis in higher education: the exploitation of part-time, underpaid college instructors—commonly known as “freeway flyers.” Through deeply personal accounts, sharp observations, and unfiltered truth, the book uncovers the financial, emotional, and professional toll of being a dedicated educator in a system that undervalues its most vital contributors.

Jean Waggoner, a seasoned adjunct English instructor with a passion for both language and equity, brings together her experience and those of her peers to illuminate the systemic inequalities that persist in colleges and universities across the nation. With a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Music from Lone Mountain College of the University of San Francisco and a Master’s in TESOL from California State University Fullerton, Waggoner has spent years teaching in Southern California community colleges—committed to students, yet left on the margins of the institutions she serves.

“I wrote this book,” Waggoner shares, “because most Americans don’t realize that the majority of college faculty are part-time, underpaid, and often juggling multiple campuses just to survive. People don’t earn advanced degrees to make less than garbage collectors do, but here we are.”

The Freeway Flyer and the Life of the Mind is not just a call for awareness—it’s a call for justice. It reveals how America’s dependence on adjunct faculty, while cost-saving for institutions, results in educational inequities and faculty burnout. Readers are offered a sobering yet powerful look at what happens when passion for teaching collides with economic reality.

Waggoner’s literary contributions extend beyond this title, with published works in the Inlandia Institute Journal, Riverside Press Enterprise, and the Orange County Business Journal, as well as a range of cultural, educational, and nonprofit-focused writings including Girl Scout Camp Manuals and grant proposals for community organizations.

To readers, Waggoner offers a heartfelt message: “Thank you for your interest in the plight of so many of America’s college & university educators. This book is for the educators who persist—not for prestige or paycheck, but for the love of teaching.”

The Freeway Flyer and the Life of the Mind is a vital, timely work that demands attention from educators, policymakers, students, and anyone concerned about the future of American education.

Global Book Network - Jean Waggoner, Author of The Freeway Flier and The Life of the Mind

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