If I was told that I would end up being a teacher a long time ago, I'd say why not - I actually wanted to be one. But then, I studied in a boarding school where students were encouraged to strive harder and achieve much higher than the average humans. So I kept my ambition a secret, and never told the truth whenever the question "What you wanna be when you grow up?" arised.
My late father actually killed my dream of being a teacher. "You shall not be a teacher. Your parents are already teachers, so be something else." He said that one fateful evening in front of my mom, at the dining table, as he was marking his students exercise books.
You can say I thought all hopes were lost. I drifted away in my studies after that. I didn't know what to be anymore. Just go with the flow. And everything will flow.
So I took some random courses in the university, scored averagely (because I played around a lot), had a few jobs after graduation, with no aim in life. I was pathetic, and I hated myself.
And my father passed away at the end of year 2000... And a few months after that, my mom said; "Once upon a time you wanted to be a teacher, now you can." So I applied for Teachers' College and got in on the second interview (a very very funny real story, will tell about it soon) and about a year later, I was posted in Sarawak to teach in the middle of nowhere.
But seriously, those were three happy years of my life.
Now I am back in my homestate, seriously thinking of why the Department of Education here are so blind about our core business, which is 'teaching'. Teachers are swamped with paperworks and wasteful stuffs which I suspect are only created just to make some people feel important. Yes, the education system is dynamic - but too much change will confuse the people.
I teach Science and Physics now. And a bloody good teacher at that. But somehow my lack of enthusiasm in paperwork made some people accuse me of being lazy.
Is it really true that a teacher is judged by his/her ability to do clerk's work?
Ramblings by
8 comments:
Very interesting point you make. So often we pursue a field because of our love for a certain aspect of it only to know what reality holds.
I agree, paperwork is NOT what should decide a persons caliber of knowledge or ability to teach. My mom taught at school, and I agree the paperwork is horrific. A similar example is a close friend of mine who used to work in the jail as a psychologist (promoted to Director) over the years. She LOVED her job because she was dealing with the inmates and helping them become better people (trying to at least). Recently she got promoted and was moved to manage a Halfway house and she is the head of that Dept. now - big post - but somehow her heart does not agree. Shes surrounded with paperwork and bureaucracy etc. and its just not what she signed up for. She misses the life in the jail!
In uni time u always show your teaching skill by correcting my poor English...
The good people in the education system should have someone on the outside looking in.
And as a person from the outside, I say screw the paperwork. Hire someone else to do it. Create new jobs. Let teachers teach and get additional jobs/PAs/whateveruwannabloodyhellcallit to do the busy work.
Of course, the good people in the G are too stupid to realize that.
Yes SSQuo, sometimes getting promoted made us lost our contact with earth. The higher you are, we might miss the things we enjoyed when we first started.
And I know your english is way better now Tenchi. Just keep on writing those entries and read more books.
Unfortunately like-minded Princess of Darkness @ Aizan... they do have several people from the outside looking in. But UNFORTUNATELY a few arses in the G and Dept think that paperwork can make a teacher teach better. These people had never been teachers, and they thought we got so much free time on our hands at school.
A LOT of people do complain how easy the job of a teacher. Let them be in our shoes for a day...
I think that being a teacher is a very noble job. I mean, there ain't gonna be any doctor or scientist if they didn't learn from their teachers.
And living in a family where most of the members are teachers makes me realize on how hard teachers work. And I wanna be a teacher too no matter how many paperworks I have to do. :)
Miss ash, you wanna be a teacher? Think carefully. It's hard teaching students nowadays.
You sound like a natural teacher Shadowthorne. It is very hard being a teacher and very few who choose the path are any good at it. You are one of the rare examples of good teachers out there, and you are worth your weight in gold.
I don't know about things with you, but I know in Ireland so many jobs are being ruined by becoming about paperwork. Teachers can't teach anymore, nurses can't nurse because they have been turned into clerks. What are people/government thinking when they do this? How does this help anyone or the country/world as a whole? It is just driving those who love their work away and they are being replaced with paperwork robots who couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag. Arrrgghhh!
Your post also reminded me of how easily parents can change your life with a few simple words. They can crush you without evening thinking.
Paperwork ruins lives all around the world. The person who invented paper should be dragged into the street and shot!
Inky and Aizan would agree.
Post a Comment