It's funny...I can't remember the last time I answered these questions. No one really asks me about my job. I mean, besides my grandparents and my chatty hairdresser. I think most people assume I'm either doing grammar drills or leading a casual conversation all day long ("So do you just, like, ask your students about their favorite foods and stuff?"). Sometimes we talk like that, and sometimes we review tricky grammar, sure. But I teach writing. I talk about writing.
(Before I go on, I should say that an instructor who focuses on the beginning levels of ESL has just as complex of a task as does a teacher of ESL writing. But that is a different post.)
So here are my extended, non-linear answers to the above-mentioned questions, in gratitude to my friend for allowing me to reflect on my experiences as a new-ish teacher of ESL.
Is teaching fulfilling?
My friend mentioned that cringe-inducing saying: "Those who can't do, teach." Maddening!
I've been drawn toward teaching since I was a small child. I begged my parents to buy me an old-fashioned school desk and a chalkboard, which they finally found at a retired teacher's garage sale. At home, I forced my brother to be my "student," and I lectured to him for hours from ratty teachers' editions of textbooks I'd been amazed to discover at the Salvation Army.
In high school, I dropped pre-calculus in order to take an independent study with my favorite English teacher. I took extensive notes as I observed her freshman composition class, and later she let me teach a few lessons. It was heavenly.
When I was offered the teaching assistantship in grad school, I felt supremely lucky. I remember the tentative and mildly alarmed smile on the composition director's face when I told him that teaching English 101 was the most important thing I'd ever done. I'm sure he thought I'd get over that pretty fast, but I didn't.
So, yes, teaching fulfills me.
What do I like about teaching?
I like that there are an infinite number of ways to explain a concept, especially in the teaching of second-language writing. I love taking a potentially boring lesson and totally rocking it. I like surprising my students with the enthusiasm I feel for both writing and teaching. I like watching my non-native English-speaking students surpass the first-year comp students in essay writing.
When people demean the teaching of ESL as simplistic or boring (as opposed to teaching content-based courses), I get it. I mean, sure, I'd love to develop an expertise in classic literature and be paid to discuss Hawthorne's short stories with overzealous grad students.
But that's not what I've chosen. I've chosen to commit my time and energy to helping people from all over the world master valuable language and communicative skills. It's a practical job, and while my former world of literary academia seems to look down on practicality, I don't mind it. Besides, there is always more.
So much more!
2 comments:
I am being asked about PhD programs here. I have realized my list of reasons not to is bigger than my reasons to do it. I honestly think I could be happy in a non-hives inducing private sector job if I could live in a gorgeous part of the US.
Everyone in my program is talking about doing their PhD applications. I spend more time thinking about starting a band.
Good. Good. I'm glad you are so energized by your career. Are you still so energized? Do you love it as much? Probably. Passion like that dies a slow death. I do think it's a little odd that you posted this as an ode to a good question by a friend, but the friend in question never responded on your blog. I guess that is one of the hazards of writing, huh? It feels as if the energy and content you placed in this post was somehow not appreciated. It's sad, because the post is so good. It's filled with charm and non-corny self reflection.
Thanks for the read Heather. I appreciate a piece of prose that has an edge of raw emotion and quixotic charm.
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