In (semi)professional news

[oloriel]

I accidentally ended up tutoring the daughter of a friend of my husband in Latin. Originally, Jörg had been helping her with chemistry and maths, and then it turned out that she had trouble in Latin, too. Jörg decided that this was a job for me, the language specialist. (This is funny because he took 9 years of Latin in school, and finished it with the German equivalent of A+.) "But your linguistic intuition is better!" ... Not in Latin, love!

Anyway, I met up with her and we translated a bit of Caesar, and... I hardly dare to admit how much fun it was. Honestly. It was a joy. (For me. Probably not for the poor girl.) Three hours passed and I honestly thought it was one. Then we met again the other day and spent another two hours identifying verb forms and phrases. I came back totally psyched. Good grief. I just hope it'll help her. (She's got most of the theoretical knowledge, but forgets it as soon as she needs to put it into practice. It doesn't help that her last teacher allowed them to use an online dictionary and didn't keep them practicing declensions and memorising principal parts so she's got next to no practice in identifying these.) Her parents seem to hope that having practiced twice will be enough to save her grade, but honestly, right now she needs someone to regularly sit down with her and remind her to stay calm and look for the main verb and be mindful of cases and tenses. Which I wouldn't mind doing. We'll see.

- - -

In the light of our devastating financial situation, and because Jörg won't be able to work for another couple of months (or to be honest, at all in that company), I applied for teaching positions at various elementary schools in the next town over. (NOT for Latin. They're not teaching that in elementary. For English.)
Now, I am not actually qualified as a teacher, and I'm not all that certain that I'd be a good teacher, either (so many students at once! help!). But our federal state is currently so desperate for teachers that they've opened the field for people who studied anything vaguely related to the subject and have anything resembling teaching experience, so I figured I ought to try. (Also, I needed to show the husband that even I, the world's greatest procrastinatrix, could send out a couple of applications on short notice so he, the world's greatest getting-shit-done guy, should stop dragging his feet about writing his own.)

And I really hate writing applications. Halfway through the process, my brain starts going "oh you don't really want this anyway, so you can as well stop wasting your time" and ultimately I won't even know whether I do or don't want the job and which part is just my executive dysfunction raising its ugly head and which part is actual, reasonable thinking. Do I want to teach? Do I want to teach at THAT school? Can I, responsibly, impose my chaotic self on poor, innocent, helpless students? Can I fake being a functional adult human being in front of a classroom of troublemakers every day, every week? While actually getting them to know and understand stuff?
Oh well, they won't respond anyway.

Well, one of the five schools invited me for an interview. (They must be truly desperate. Which surprises me, because this is one of the nice schools. Maybe they're just inviting me for the sake of variety?) Partial success! I am not prepared for that! What do I do if they don't hire me after that? WHAT DO I DO IF THEY DO? What do I want? I am not ready! (Is anyone ever?)

The truth of the matter is, I really do enjoy teaching and knowledge. But can I handle 20+ kids (and their parents) at the same time? I have no clue.

EDIT: A second school called... HELP

Comments

[independence1776]

Good luck!

[oloriel]

Thank you!

[heartofoshun]

Even if you decide not to do it, it's a great ego boost to think that someone else believes you could do it. I taught without teaching credentials and was as good or better than the teachers who had all the right certificates. Personally, I found a classroom full of kids a little too much for me. But then I have never been a fully functioning adult (ha! stopped wanting to be at a certain point! too much being who I am). I have to admit it was on so many levels satisfying and certainly engaging and challenging.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[oloriel]

That's true! But now I'm torn between "oh I really really hope they choose me" and "I wouldn't actually know what to do if they do!". A classroom full of kids - not all of them willing to cooperate! - is a daunting thing! That said, I don't think anything in university can prepare you for that theatre. Whatever someone's qualification, you only truly become a teacher on the job. Though the people who studied teaching probably have a lot more tools at their disposal!
Thank you, both for your insights and for the well-wishes!

[ysilme]

That said, I don't think anything in university can prepare you for that theatre. Whatever someone's qualification, you only truly become a teacher on the job.
That's absolutely true! My partens were both teachers, my father at the Gymnasium and my mother at a special needs school. Both also had minors in pedagogics, which isn't common, and acted as tutor to trainee teachers more than average. They both loved training young teachers, and particularly my father often said the exact same thing. As a teacher's kid, I had a lot of insight on the workings of my own school trough my father and most of my parents' friends who also taught there, and learned early on that the really good teachers were those who loved teaching and so on. They often weren't those with the best grades, whereas the best grade teachers often sucked at teaching.
I'm also sure it won't be difficult for you to find one or more colleagues, should you get the job/ decide to take it, who'll be willing to help you out with ideas and solutions where necessary.

[oloriel]

Initially - if they hire me - I'm assigned a tutor on my school anyway (and of course I'm supposed to work with the other teachers as well), and I'll be taking additional teaching classes with professional instructors who should have further tricks up their sleeves. So yes, I'll definitely have ample chance to pick up the necessary skills. But at the same time, I'd have to start teaching while still finding my own feet. Oh well! Maybe it'll help me appreciate the students' plight better? ^^

[hhimring]

Good luck!
You already know you can handle more than one child at the same time, as a mother of two.
Scaling up from there, I think the chance that you can handle this are pretty good!
But of course you won't know whether it's for you until you try.

[oloriel]

Well, I know I can't always handle two! I just hope it's easier when it's not my own kids. With my own, everything they do feels personal! With other people's kids, I hope I can be more relaxed when they rant about hating their homework... ;)

Yeah, that's what it boils down to! Thank you!

[grundyscribbling]

Wow, good luck with the interviews! Deep breaths, you'll do great. :)

As long as you know the subject - which you obviously do! - and can keep your cool, you'll be fine teaching! I speak from experience, I worked as a long-term substitute teacher for a while in my local school district. I ended up doing at least as well as the certified teachers (based on student grades/test performance) and somehow had a bunch of kids convinced I was an awesome teacher when I a) had no idea what I was doing with any of the paperwork/admin aspects of the job and b) was really just trying to make science interesting instead of a dull slog to the end of the school year.

[oloriel]

I do hope I can keep my cool. I actually think that I can do (at least!) as good a job as freshly certified teachers straight out of university. But will I be able to convince the principal(s) of this? And will I be able to deal with the pressure of a classroom full of excited or completely disinterested kids? Aye, there's the rub!
Thank you for the encouragement!

[grundyscribbling]

If we're talking primary school, it's more likely to be on the 'excited' end of the scale than 'completely disinterested'. :)

[ysilme]

Just a quick reply for the moment: judging from what my nieces told about their English lessons in kindergarden and elementary school, and the results of it, I honestly think you're perfectly qualified: you excel at the language, use it daily and very likely more thoroughly than most of the teachers I had even at the Gymnasium, and, as I strongly suspect, love it; you've vast experience with kids through your own, and you're a great mom. There's not much use in a just-barely-graduated, insecure young teacher without any real experiences with children so far trying to motivate them when you're really annoyed that you didn't get that better-paid full job at the Gymasium or so and just want to pass the time until you get a better job.
Anyway, best of luck, and everything. *hugs tight*

[oloriel]

Aww!
The thing is, though, my own kids taught themselves English on their own. I can't hope that all other kids will do me the same favour! XD
Thank you, though!