This week I've been thinking over what I'm going to do with my life. I mean if I do okay in all my exams, this time next year I'll be a graduate with a BA english literature and not forgetting language and what the f am I gonna to do then? I want to be a teacher, I really do. I want to set up a life working with people who want to learn about literature and not because they have to.
I was with a friend this week who wants to work in television, and we were chatting about it and I could feel her ambition and excitement and like I have no desire to work in tv but she was even getting me all excited about bloody cbeebies and I was shit scared because I didn't even know if I had enough about me to be excited by any career that I might wanna do. And that little grain of 'shit' gets bigger and scarier and soon it's this massive rock of doubt like the wall in Run, Fatboy, Run and I couldn't get past it for ages! Which is so silly. But anyway. I read Teacher Man ages and ages ago and I just got to thinking about it today. I love Frank McCourt, and this memoir is lovely. I can't remember but I probably cried. Whatever, it's great. It makes you want to go for a walk or go on the ferris wheel or get a train if you know what I mean.
He says that in all of his years as a teacher and all the parents he spoke to, only one ever asked was their child enjoying school. I'm gonna make sure that's the first thing I get to know about the people I teach. I mean I think I'll end up teaching adults so I can't really give them a parent evaluation but still.
"He says, you have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can’t make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace."
My friend took this picture a few years ago. I wish I had a website to refer you to because he's quite insanely marvelous, but I don't and I'm so sad that I haven't seen any of his work in ages. Dude if you're reading, get in touch.
I think about that memoir a lot and sometimes I think about it all the time and it's certainly what I've been thinking about this week. That, and this picture, which I just can't get over.
I moved to Korea to teach English. It was supposed to be a stop-gap, to save up to eventually become a journalist. I've sort of started to like teaching though, and now I'm thinking about doing it as career. It's easygoing and can be rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI do worry I may get jaded and bored of it though.
You're looking at it in the best way - something you've come across and fallen in like with. Whereas you are terrified of getting bored of it I'm terrified it'll be too hard!
ReplyDeleteIt must be crazy teaching the english language! lots of irregularities!
After the experience of moving into another culture you could make an entire journalism career out of what you've seen and done!