Job Discussion Forums

[Phil_K]

I was thinking a few months ago of doing a completely different job, but was offered a partnership in a new language institute, starting from stratch but with a bright future, more as an entrepreneur than as a teacher. (It's going well so far). As it is a new company, we all have to pitch in and teach in these first few months.

My point is, I took this opportunity because I don't really want to be a teacher. In fact I realize that I don't even really like teaching! While I know many people on the forum are true professionals, with certificates or even Uni degrees in this field, there are many more who are teachers because:

a) They speak reasonably good English
b) It was about the only thing they could do when they came to Mexico.

The veteran British rock band, Status Quo, once said something like, "We started by faking three chords, and we've been faking the same three chords for 45 years!"

This is more or less how I feel as a teacher. Many students seem to think I'm a good teacher but everytime I go into the classroom, I know I'm faking it and I've been faking it for 5 years.

I know I'm rambling and as I said, there's no problem as I feel I have found what I want in this company, but I wondered if other people get that feeling that they're faking it too.

[cgage]

I love to teach and look forward to every day in class. But that is probably because I teach children. They give me energy and I teach them English and also values. Children are naturally hard-wired to learn so that makes it easy. Also, most of these kids are like grandchildren to me. I couldn't fake it if I tried.
Working for an institution could and usually does make you feel negative -following a mindless curriculum. I use my own methods and with many kids it seems to work. There are kids that either cant learn or dont want to learn.
Sometimes we get in the wrong profession which is not suited to our temperement. I got a masters in library and then hated being a librarian.
I would be interested in finding out more about your school and perhaps sharing ideas. Good luck.

[Phil_K]

I have no problem with the structure of the courses and as a partner, I had some input. In fact, I wrote many of the lessons myself. Our lessons are all self contained, starting with the goals, which are checked after each one is acheived and finishing with an evaluation to make sure the students have acheived the goals. The whole lesson is designed to make use of NLP methods with knowledge of each students specific NL abilities to help that student. I like that, and the students do too. I get the feeling that in each class we acheive something concrete. I have to say, and I've always felt this, that I am much better suited to intermediate and advanced students. Perhaps because I am not a "real" teacher, and those that are, tell me they really like teaching beginners.

You are right about not being in the right profession, but that is why I stick with it, as I know with a few new contracts coming up, I will be able to get more involved in the business-building side, which is my love and my forte.

[ls650]

I love teaching English. Nothin' fake about it.

[dixie]

I love my job and I love my kids but at this moment in the year, I'm utterly frustrated. Going to work every day has simply become the thing I have to do, rather than the thing I want to do.

However, like anything in life, there are always moments of struggle and it's how we make it through them and what we learn from them that makes the next go around that much stronger.

I can't imagine doing anything else, at least not something that would allow me to have a professional and a personal life that I can enjoy (most days!).

I have a friend back in Canada who teaches highschool phys. ed and this year a few science classes. She's hated her job since day one but doesn't know what it is that she would love, so she stays. Teaching is not a job for everyone, but I could never be a lawyer or an accountant and enjoy it. It's about personality and goals and in the end, if we can find the job that meshes them together in the right way, then we're lucky because work is a huge amount of one's life, and I can't imagine being tied to something that took up so much of my life, and hating it.

[corporatehuman]

I understand your feeling Dixie.

Teaching is far better than any job I've ever had: better than food service, better than any factory, better than any office. I love the interaction, the performance, and best of all, watching / assisting people learn.

I had a lot of fun teaching English and worked hard for my students, but I always knew it wasn't something I'd pursue for too long. I only taught for 8 months, a lot less than you have, but I know if I had continued in to the second or third year, I'd be feeling the exact way you do. Best of luck with your new school and its definitely the right decision to make.

There are some people out there that just LOVE teaching english. I love teaching, just not english. When it comes to languages, I prefer learning.

C

[tagastelum]

While I can't admit that I feel as if I'm faking it, I certainly relate to the feelings of blah that some of you wrote about in your posts.

I've been working for the same supervisor in the English department of a private university prepa. On a personal level, she's wonderful. On a profesional level, she's overworked and makes bad decisions much of the time. (Example: Too many kids flunking Intermediate English? Dumb down the class!) Not fun to work for at all. I enjoy teaching grammar, but it's tough to remain at the top of my game after six semesters of teaching mostly apathetic teenagers. (I don't take it personally; I was even more apathetic in my high school French classes.)

I had to do something.

My solution was to switch departments in the same school. Next semester, I'll start teaching social studies in English, which is a major boon for this geography major. While I'll still be teaching teenagers, I think it will be easier to grab their attention teaching about war & peace, landmines, poverty and globalization.

How many of you others have the option to switch out of the English department at your school and into something else?

[ontoit]

Seems to me that their are 3 things a job needs to be before you can love it:

1. It's got to pay enough to support the rest of your life - your relationships, hobbies and trips down the coast for I and I.

2. It's got to be challenging - If anyone could do it with both eyes closed, then it would get awfully routine and boring in short order.

3. It's got to matter - If there is no essential difference between your being there or being passed out at home, then the feeling that your life is being wasted becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.

[Clear the Air]

Phil_K, I hear what you`re saying. I have been teaching English in a couple different places in Mexico for just about a year now. I am happy to be in Mexico at this point in my life and teaching English is a means to that end. It isn`t my passion. Add to that a tendency for many students here to bail on classes either because of conflicts with the work schedule or (sometimes) laziness, and I do lose my motivation some weeks. But what tends to get to me more here is the lack of quality schools. The best that I have been able to find is where they pay well and on time and there`s little or no corruption. Really being part of a team and doing something as a team to improve the quality of education there-- well, that`s just been a fantasy so far. I too would really like to get into administration in education. I dream about opening up my own school one day.