So, one of the changes of the year I lost to WW2 literature is that I am now a trainee teacher a.k.a I'm repeatedly being told kids will be bored in our subjects and will rebel. Hurray. I am studying french and, having sat through far too many years of English as a foreign language classes contemplating ways of getting out of attending the next one, I am fully aware that I have an uphill struggle ahead. I also know that google translate will no longer be a friend... oh how the tables have turned. Anyway, one of our tasks, in what I assume to be a bid to improve our self reflexive techniques (you don't want to know), was to write an autobiography. I thought I'd share it as I got far too into it. Seriously.
"As a child I had 4 centres of interest: bossing people around, knowing the dance moves and words to every single S Club 7 Song, making sure to correct anyone who I deemed to be wrong and being first in every spelling test. Regardless of these apparent predispositions to teaching, I spent my teenage years swaying between veterinary science, novelist and professional skier. That is until my last year of high school. Exam year, everyone getting stressed out over their imminent failure in maths (it was always maths), I chose to do extra biology as part of my curriculum and it was arguably the best decision I made during my teenage years of bad hair and non-existing fashion sense. The teacher I had was highly praised by those who had had him previously, and with good reason. He had that rare quality of being able to make even tedious rock studying entertaining, he had that typically British self depreciating humour (unheard of for a Frenchman) that made us all like him instantly. The most complicated genome work would be explained in ways even the weaker members of the class would understand, he would give up his free periods to give us extra tuition if we were struggling. We asked him why he became a teacher, he explained that he had been part of an award winning medical team researching Parkinson's disease (incidentally they discovered that electroshocking would diminish the symptoms of the disease, but I digress), to which we emphatically asked what he was doing teaching a load of teenagers he replied ‘When you love something, you enjoy something there is nothing better than passing that passion on to others and watching them blossom as a result'. His answer stuck with me and I decided then and there that I wanted to do the same thing.
When the time came to choose a subject at uni, I chose English, I was passionate about books and reading is still my favourite thing to do, books are comforting and no matter what people say fictional characters can be friends. However, the further I got into my degree the more I found myself thinking: ‘I don't want to teach English'. I came to the realisation that I believe that books should be enjoyed as they are, dissecting them and placing meaning on things that, more often than not, wasn't meant to be there diminishes the story.
I moved to France at the ripe old age of 9, due to parents ignoring my full blown tantrum (which included throwing objects and a LOT of screaming) upon being told the news. This move brought me many things amongst which a hatred for the moustached man in a stripey top with a beret and the baguette under his arm whilst riding a bike stereotype and a general annoyance at being told ‘say something in English, go on'. However it gave me a whole new language and a whole new culture and awakened a desire to try new things as challenging and frightening as they may be. I did all my schooling in France and upon starting university in Aberdeen (much to my Dads dismay as ‘I now have to travel an extra day to see you, and well, it's Scotland'), I came to appreciate this aspect of my life a lot more than when I was there. I believe that this experience will help me greatly in all aspects of the course and indeed my teaching career as I have a unique perspective on things as a result.
I have been using the internet and various apps and programs to keep in touch with family and friends for most of my life and through school I have made good (read excessive) use of Microsoft word and powerpoint (don't even get me started) and whilst excel may still be problematic (shout out to my Mum who gifted me an ‘Excel for Dummies' book for Christmas, feeling the love), I am looking forward to learning more about ICT in school and indeed as part of the course, mainly smartboards though because my high school had one and it was uh-mazing. To be honest I could've done with a miniature one when I was tutoring, I would have been the coolest tutor around *sigh*.
Back to the point, there is one thing the French do well, aside from Croissants and very long films, and that is academia. Their high schools and their curriculums are run with near military precision messed up only by the philosophy teachers who go by no one's rules and talk about their depressed cats all day (true story).What they don't do however is provide classes, or training or even information that actually helps in daily life. My mum taught me to write a CV and as for taking a gap year before uni, I thought my teacher might collapse from laughing when I explained I wanted to take one (apparently only uncivilised countries allow such things).
Having gotten over this disappointment, I now find myself raring to go and excited to learn about teaching and indeed how to teach grammar in a way that will not make pupils want to never see my classroom again. Somewhere along the way I hope become more confident in both leading a class and indeed in my capacity to do the job well. Whilst I am genuinely looking forward to the year to come and indeed have given myself a pep-talk so good I am now raring to get to the first placement, even though i have already planned my tally board for the times I shall be mistaken for a pupil, I am worried that I won't live up to my expectations and that somewhere along the way anxiety will mute the enthusiasm that I currently have for both the subject and the profession. Then there is the thought that I may have objects thrown at me on placement, but the chances are slim right? Right!?"
Ah self promotion, you glorious beauty.
