“I teach students, not subjects.”
-Unknown
I’ve been an educator for, at least, three years, now. Moreover, I’m closing in on my first year as a big boy teacher and I’m beyond proud of myself. I have seen and endured a lot and I still got one more month before the 2021-2022 school year closes out. But, what got me the most is the additional responsibilities of a teacher; it was a welcoming surprise.
Over time, I have been like a part-time parent to a lot of students with it being a boarding school and all. I may have been hired as an ELA teacher but I became so much more in much little time. For example, I ended up becoming a counselor to one student who was suffering from his parent’s divorce. His father is very thankful for that one since, according to him, I’m the first person he opened up to. Additionally, I wasn’t the only one who accomplished this.
A lot of my foreign teachers were able to do that with their students and many of the Chinese teachers were pissed because of that. Seriously, they were beyond annoyed that the students were willing to talk to us more than them. My twelfth graders are the best example. On one occasion, they were asked to clean their room (a common weekly task) and didn’t want to. They told one of the teachers “No. Shut up. Leave me alone.” Melody, their homeroom teacher, came to me and asked me to talk to them. Five minutes later, they were up and cleaning, and, though Melody was happy, the other Chinese teachers weren’t.
One of the students remains in contact with me after leaving for America. Just like in China, he’s still asking me ever about American culture and customs. He even continues asking me to help further his English so he can fit in better. So, even still, I’m an educator from across the ocean. It’s a nice feeling, you know? To know that I can to have a good impact of my students even after they leave the school.
This is why I became a teacher…
Now, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. My goal is to read 180 books this year and I’m already at 93. Holy crap! I’m already past the halfway point and I’m only on the fifth month.
