Usually, I love the people who come through my classroom. I haven't mastered loving everyone unconditionally, whether in the classroom, the city, the country, the world or wherever else there's intelligent life. I will say, however, that when I move in that direction, or at least generally feel positive about life and people, I tend to treat others better than I have.
So many students have come through my classrooms so far, and I know there will be many in the future. Even if the publishing gods bring my words to more eyes and I can spend more time at this, I would still envision a future where I spend some time in classrooms helping to educate people, whatever the context (so long as it's interesting).
I remember when I would be able to write, photograph and arrange all day when I was living from harvest savings in SF, and although that gave me indescribable joy, I often would feel a certain emptiness while walking the streets, because I had minimal human connection, and none beyond my new roommates, who were available for conversations here and there. Come to think of it, the strangers I lived with those first few months were invaluable in keeping me grounded in basic human connection, fluent in conversation, and inspired to express experiences.
Just a few minutes in my classroom, now, and I wonder how I ever lived without so many people around, let alone on my own in the wilderness or foreign lands. I feel lucky, honored, blessed each year I spend meeting new people. I've checked off most of the countries at this point, and although I'd love to travel more and meet someone from every land, I'd know that some of those borders are arbitrary. There are often culturally and/or linguistically similar groups living across imaginary lines, while very different groups live side by side. That's why one of the most essential takeaways from this whole teaching experience is something I already knew but have constantly re-confirmed, which is that individuals transcend group demographics all the time.
I teach language to all ages now. I've done it a few years and who knows how much longer. One of my best friends is about to become a high school teacher. I think he'll be amazing, but we'll find out. I am interested in other things, so I won't be going that route, but it's a worthy endeavor, indeed. I have massive respect for people who instruct, inspire and guide people at that age. I have much less responsibility for my students' outcomes, because I usually know them for only a couple months. That being said, I do spend four hours a day with them, and some of them stay a very long time. As I've said before, I might meet students for a week, or they may hang around for a year. Some stay at the school for two, and I'll see them here and there on Friday classes even if I'm not always their every day instructor.
I think one of the reasons I'm a little more pensive than usual with respect to my current profession tonight is that one of my Hall of Fame students is moving on tomorrow. We will all congratulate her, not for finishing her course of study, but because she got married today! Which means that student visa's to learn English won't be so necessary for her to remain in our nation. I'm very happy for her, but, as usual, things are bittersweet.
When I moved to mornings a year ago, I changed from teaching level 2 and 3 immigrants who often lacked much formal education to teaching post-advanced business English, something I'd only done once. It was hard enough to change my sleep schedule, but I also had to be really sharp at the very beginning of the day. I couldn't slowly wake up in front of a computer monitor and some tea, reading e-mails or organizing/editing documents as in other work experiences I've had. I had to be ready to stand in front of the room and get things started at 9. What made that even more difficult was that I had very talented students who placed their expectations on me. One of them liked to correct me. She's corrected/challenged me quite a bit in the past year, whether in business or listening and speaking, or, most recently in my current (and first) TOEFL preparation class (post-advanced; after this, I will have taught every single level/class at my school).
Sometimes running a language class is like being a talk show host, except nobody outside the room is watching. And like any host knows, it helps to have your band leader or your sidekick to banter with and laugh at your jokes. Many a student has played this role since I started, and the best classes are when it feels like every student plays that role. That's always the goal, but some people are just really introverted, so you do what you can to encourage them to go as far beyond their comfort zone as they can.
Anyway, the current bandleader is from Germany. I grew up with a hard-headed intelligent woman who now lives in that same country. If that weren't enough, when I was in high school, we were joined by a German exchange sister who knew how to set me straight when I didn't have the facts right. So it only makes sense that this writer my age, who was supposedly keeping pages and pages of unpublished writing, waiting to find the right way/courage to publish, would be the one to play the role of my argumentative German sister.
Now, I'm visiting my real argumentative sister in a couple months so I can meet her adorable son. That means that after tomorrow, I will have to find my way on my own again, going a few months without a seriously good debate, or a female who is very engaged in politics/history/world events with whom I can commiserate. That said, I have many intelligent, lovable students, and life goes on. As annoying as that challenge could be, I will still miss her. I wish her well in her future in America, and I hope she publishes. More importantly, I hope I publish. We will see what happens as history builds upon its mystery... or is it the other way? I wonder what my graduating German bandleader would say. I suppose that's a light-hearted debate I will have with a different gifted, intelligent, and headstrong woman on another day... well, maybe not quite so headstrong.
We will see.
So many students have come through my classrooms so far, and I know there will be many in the future. Even if the publishing gods bring my words to more eyes and I can spend more time at this, I would still envision a future where I spend some time in classrooms helping to educate people, whatever the context (so long as it's interesting).
I remember when I would be able to write, photograph and arrange all day when I was living from harvest savings in SF, and although that gave me indescribable joy, I often would feel a certain emptiness while walking the streets, because I had minimal human connection, and none beyond my new roommates, who were available for conversations here and there. Come to think of it, the strangers I lived with those first few months were invaluable in keeping me grounded in basic human connection, fluent in conversation, and inspired to express experiences.
Just a few minutes in my classroom, now, and I wonder how I ever lived without so many people around, let alone on my own in the wilderness or foreign lands. I feel lucky, honored, blessed each year I spend meeting new people. I've checked off most of the countries at this point, and although I'd love to travel more and meet someone from every land, I'd know that some of those borders are arbitrary. There are often culturally and/or linguistically similar groups living across imaginary lines, while very different groups live side by side. That's why one of the most essential takeaways from this whole teaching experience is something I already knew but have constantly re-confirmed, which is that individuals transcend group demographics all the time.
I teach language to all ages now. I've done it a few years and who knows how much longer. One of my best friends is about to become a high school teacher. I think he'll be amazing, but we'll find out. I am interested in other things, so I won't be going that route, but it's a worthy endeavor, indeed. I have massive respect for people who instruct, inspire and guide people at that age. I have much less responsibility for my students' outcomes, because I usually know them for only a couple months. That being said, I do spend four hours a day with them, and some of them stay a very long time. As I've said before, I might meet students for a week, or they may hang around for a year. Some stay at the school for two, and I'll see them here and there on Friday classes even if I'm not always their every day instructor.
I think one of the reasons I'm a little more pensive than usual with respect to my current profession tonight is that one of my Hall of Fame students is moving on tomorrow. We will all congratulate her, not for finishing her course of study, but because she got married today! Which means that student visa's to learn English won't be so necessary for her to remain in our nation. I'm very happy for her, but, as usual, things are bittersweet.
When I moved to mornings a year ago, I changed from teaching level 2 and 3 immigrants who often lacked much formal education to teaching post-advanced business English, something I'd only done once. It was hard enough to change my sleep schedule, but I also had to be really sharp at the very beginning of the day. I couldn't slowly wake up in front of a computer monitor and some tea, reading e-mails or organizing/editing documents as in other work experiences I've had. I had to be ready to stand in front of the room and get things started at 9. What made that even more difficult was that I had very talented students who placed their expectations on me. One of them liked to correct me. She's corrected/challenged me quite a bit in the past year, whether in business or listening and speaking, or, most recently in my current (and first) TOEFL preparation class (post-advanced; after this, I will have taught every single level/class at my school).
Sometimes running a language class is like being a talk show host, except nobody outside the room is watching. And like any host knows, it helps to have your band leader or your sidekick to banter with and laugh at your jokes. Many a student has played this role since I started, and the best classes are when it feels like every student plays that role. That's always the goal, but some people are just really introverted, so you do what you can to encourage them to go as far beyond their comfort zone as they can.
Anyway, the current bandleader is from Germany. I grew up with a hard-headed intelligent woman who now lives in that same country. If that weren't enough, when I was in high school, we were joined by a German exchange sister who knew how to set me straight when I didn't have the facts right. So it only makes sense that this writer my age, who was supposedly keeping pages and pages of unpublished writing, waiting to find the right way/courage to publish, would be the one to play the role of my argumentative German sister.
Now, I'm visiting my real argumentative sister in a couple months so I can meet her adorable son. That means that after tomorrow, I will have to find my way on my own again, going a few months without a seriously good debate, or a female who is very engaged in politics/history/world events with whom I can commiserate. That said, I have many intelligent, lovable students, and life goes on. As annoying as that challenge could be, I will still miss her. I wish her well in her future in America, and I hope she publishes. More importantly, I hope I publish. We will see what happens as history builds upon its mystery... or is it the other way? I wonder what my graduating German bandleader would say. I suppose that's a light-hearted debate I will have with a different gifted, intelligent, and headstrong woman on another day... well, maybe not quite so headstrong.
We will see.
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