Teaching Fix

I was a teacher for three years. I loved it. Yes, it was the most stressful thing I have ever done with my life, but it was also the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I wanted to be a teacher since I was 16. My friends in high school would ask me for help in English class, and they were impressed with my knowledge of the semi-colon. Once I got in front of the classroom, well I wasn't a natural or in any form very good, but I loved it. I eventually did become a pretty decent teacher. I got some of the more rough and tumble kids, but they were awesome. These were kids who actually had something to learn even though most of them did not want to. I felt like these kids that did not give a crap about education, were far more reachable than the average student. Yes, I heard every curse word imaginable, and yes, sometimes they were aimed at me. Yes, I had druggies and fluzzies, and yes, I had good kids who tried really hard. It was just delightful to go off topic, talk about something that is directly from their lives, and then try to connect it to the literature in a way that they could relate. It actually worked sometimes. Imagine a kid who would stay up until 2am every night smoking pot and playing video games in his friend's basement because he knows that he is going to be a mechanic, and school teaches (in his mind) no skills relatable to that field, looking forward to reading Macbeth or Beowulf. That seriously happened sometimes. I had a class clap at the end of a story from The Canterbury Tales because they liked it so much, and it wasn't the slow sarcastic 'thank god this crap is over' clap I usually get.

I miss it, but I do get my teaching fix from time to time here at Durham University. At practice, because I am here on a lacrosse scholarship, we have three teams, and sometimes I get to help out with the other teams. Even on my own team, which is like the equivalent of varsity, I tend to get a little coachey. I will lead a drill or help someone with an individual issue, and it is just like I am teaching again. I was explaining a drill one time for team two, and one of the girls made a comment along the lines of, "She is totally a teacher." I couldn't help but smile even though she may have been poking fun of me.

Also my classmates are not native English speakers, so sometimes they get lost when the professor makes a joke or goes really fast. They turn to me for help. Well I am sure the fact that I am one of three native English speakers and have the friendliest face (that's right Robin, I am more approachable than you) is probably why they choose me for help. I don't mind at all. I actually feel really bad for them because I sometimes get lost in the lectures with 25 years of English language experience. Today the prof was talking about the difference between the sounds in the phrases "catch it" and "cat shit". Agatha, who was sitting next to me, pulled out her little electronic English to Chinese dictionary and could not figure out what made most of the class giggle. I then drew her a picture that looked something like this. I am sure drawing a kitten taking a dump is not really the high light of most people's day, but it was for mine!

Even though I was laid off, I do not have a doubt that some form of teaching should be my career. I am glad 16 year old me was right. She was awesome. You go 2001 Kat... you go girl.