This blog is a running record of my life, my thoughts, my emotions. Therefore, I am entitled to express anything I wish regardless of who I might offend. K?
As a teacher, I am well aware of my abilities. I love what I do. Give me a student who is willing to study, who’s willing to be taught, and I’m good.
A group class is more challenging for me, which is abundant during peak season, a period each occuring at the middle and end of the year. Handling a group class provides the same benefits of a performance; I like being in charge in front of an audience who, in this case, are my students.
There were a few students who became dear to me – something that could only be engendered by the enthusiasm they had shown me in studying the language. Without that, there is really nothing much to connect me to any of them. In case you’d be intrigued to know, throughout the annals of my teaching profession, I can count with two hands the mere number of trainees who had shown interest in assimilating my favorite dialect.
There is another confession to be made here why I am not crazy about these kind of people: They are among the highly self-absorbed inhabitants of this planet, IMO. The superiority complex has been attributed to their rapid financial progress since the 1990s. You may get surprised how the new generation is spawning bratty kids who have no genuine desire for gaining knowledge; who may end up economically dependent on their parents their whole lives. You’d also be surprised to know most of them dislike the English language – and the American people.
But the more disturbing reality for me is their general lack of concern for animals. The majority of them even hates cats. The most repulsive fact of them all? They eat dogs – something that’s deemed legal in their state; Heart-crushing for an animal lover like me. Well, I live in a country where dogs get eaten, too (I know I know, how horrible), especially on drinking sprees during festivities. I find it abominable to my very core. It’s considered against the law, nevertheless, and we do not have legitimate restaurants for dog-meat consumers.
Why then am I working for them? I was past 35 years of age when I got this job. One hardly gets hired where I live once you start approaching your 40s. Besides, this line of work was decidedly ideal for me because I love English. I didn’t want to go back to accounting and administrative work – the line I had been trained for in college. A wonderful opportunity as well to read the good books that are available in the academy for my self-development beckoned. And I needed the income.
It has been eight years now. There has been countless of times when I’ve had misgivings on the worthiness of it all. Heaven knows what I gave up for this job within those years.
This is how I’ve honestly felt in spite of my fondness for English and my vocation. A bit of hard sentiments from me I guess, but I’ve come to augment my standards on the ones I interact with.
And perhaps you now get a better understanding as to why I just have to frequent the blogosphere and seek my few favorite writers who give me back my sanity at the end of a full day’s work. 🙂
Bohemian Sentiments 
You love what you do, but you don’t like who you do it for. So you’re one-out-of-two, and at least that’s something. Some folks hate what they do and who they do it for — a lot of workers hate their customers (which is kinda tragic for us customers).
Do you like your co-workers? Then you’d be two-for-three!
It would be less tragic if prejudice doesn’t get in the way between worker-customer or any other kind of association, Wyrd.
I’ve come to a stage where I don’t ask myself anymore whether I like my co-workers or not. Making an effort to fit in has taken a back seat; Maintaining connection with people entails work and it isn’t my priority for now.
Your blog is not doing bad, it makes me truly glad. You hardly personify that lonely whale, imo. And a big high-five if you ever get stuck on a desert island with a young nympho. 😉
I guess that kid in the picture wearing a USA shirt doesn’t hate Americans. I don’t know if people actually hate Americans..I think it’s just the cool thing to say.
I wouldn’t want to go back to accounting either. In my early 20’s I chose to take the accounting route in college but it only lasted one semester. It was the thing to do if you could tolerate it because of the job prospects and all that other secure boring stuff.
There’s definitely some job satisfaction in your line of work. The only real enjoyment I get from my job is when I get the chance to give a dog a treat.
What someone wears doesn’t necessarily match what they feel. But, yes, I need to qualify my statement because many of them either have been brainwashed by their own media that incite antipathy toward the Americans or simply go with the dictates of the crowd.
I just have to tell you: I wasn’t surprised when the American ambassador in their country got slashed on the face a few days ago.
You had written about your fondness for giving a treat to the dogs you meet while doing your job. I hope you’d be able to have a dog of your own soon as you had expressed in a previous post.
Ha ha, yeah, the Accounting profession is not for the free-spirited like us, MrJohnson.
I know many accountants. They are on the very opposite end of free-spirited. I would like to think I am free-spirited but if I was then I would quit my job and run around barefoot picking dandelions for dinner.
🙂 That would be my ideal life.
I’m sorry about your discontent. Your story saddens me, LFM, but as you said, you have an income and I guess it keeps you busy and gives you some sense of accomplishment, at least from those few who are willing and enthusiastic about learning. Are there any other opportunities where you are for employment elsewhere? I do wish you happiness, or if not that, at least contentment.
You do look happy in the pictures!
When everything’s perfect, we’re too happy to bother writing about it. We bloggers usually come here to express our discontents. But I’m actually the kind who counts her blessings; the kind who feels grateful for the fact I still have my eyes, my feet, my health, and a job that supports me. It’s impossible to find work in your mid-40s in my country except for high managerial positions. People (near my age) around me — who lost their jobs years ago — remain unemployed, so I know I’m still lucky. It’s just that I’m not fond of my students, on the whole, for reasons stated.
I looked happy because it was my favorite class.
You have a good attitude. Work comprises such a large chunk of our lives that if you’re unhappy at work, it trickles down to the rest your life, as well. Fortunately for me, I like what I do and I like the people I work with.
“That it trickles down to the rest of your life as well.” I can’t totally agree with that. Or maybe I’m simply the exception. I can separate my personal life from my work life. And as I said, I like teaching and English, which makes me not dislike my job that much.
Good for you for liking what you do and the people you work with.