It's baseball season, so all thoughts are turning to Annie, our favorite part-time community college English teacher. Duh.
This is my last semester of teaching. Two jobs = one too many. I'm trying to finish up this degree, so I'm taking a break.
If you are considering teaching, I'll tell you what teaching gives you. Teaching takes away your fear. Teaching, putting yourself out there, being in front of a large group of people who don't want to be in the room, makes you able to do anything you want. Winning students over? That's a high that administrators and education professors don't tell you about. Teaching students the importance of writing, teaching them the power of words, watching them learn... there's no amount of money that competes with that.
I had a presentation in grad school class the other day, and when I finished my professor said, "You are a natural teacher!" And of course I let it go to my head, and I'm still bragging about it to you.
However, quietly, to myself, I laughed because it is the opposite of true. I'm not a natural teacher. I was just 1. excited about what I was talking about and 2. wasn't scared to be in front of the room... two gifts that teaching gave me.
I can't say I'll miss it yet. Right now, I'm tired and ready for grad school to be over. Four thousand years down, four thousand years to go.
I took my own advice about quitting one thing. You should try it. Find one thing to quit.
What can you quit today?
In three months?
In six months?
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This is my last semester of teaching. Two jobs = one too many. I'm trying to finish up this degree, so I'm taking a break.
If you are considering teaching, I'll tell you what teaching gives you. Teaching takes away your fear. Teaching, putting yourself out there, being in front of a large group of people who don't want to be in the room, makes you able to do anything you want. Winning students over? That's a high that administrators and education professors don't tell you about. Teaching students the importance of writing, teaching them the power of words, watching them learn... there's no amount of money that competes with that.
I had a presentation in grad school class the other day, and when I finished my professor said, "You are a natural teacher!" And of course I let it go to my head, and I'm still bragging about it to you.
However, quietly, to myself, I laughed because it is the opposite of true. I'm not a natural teacher. I was just 1. excited about what I was talking about and 2. wasn't scared to be in front of the room... two gifts that teaching gave me.
I can't say I'll miss it yet. Right now, I'm tired and ready for grad school to be over. Four thousand years down, four thousand years to go.
I took my own advice about quitting one thing. You should try it. Find one thing to quit.
What can you quit today?
In three months?
In six months?
I'm going to stop leaving stupid comments on people's blogs.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding.
I'm going to stop eating so many pop tarts in a day. It's become a serious problem.
I love your stupid comments. Also, pop tarts. Really love pop tarts.
DeleteI don't know what to quit. School??? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. (I'm just saying that because this mean dissertation chapter is staring me in the face and I want it to JUST. GO. AWAY. But I could never quit school.)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I will quit going to the same places all the time. Does that count? I do too much of the same. I like ruts and comfort zones. That's good when it's the comfort zone that makes me productive (like knowing where/how I work best). It's bad when it's the comfort zone that keeps me from meeting new people and trying new things. Maybe I will start going to new grocery stores and new restaurants and new parks and running trails. New, new, new. Because nothing makes you feel awesomer than the Jack in the Box drive-through lady telling you she'll see you soon.
I am not even going to tell myself to shut up in your comments any more. I feel like that's always just implied.
Please don't ever shut up, Amen.
Delete