So, the last day of the school year is upon me - the end of my 7th year has come. I think this point was highlighted for me yesterday when I met a student who did maturita this year for a coffee, and then later on another student from my very first year came unexpectedly to the cafe too! And so, the wheel of my teaching years had turned full circle, so to speak ;-)
Perhaps a time to reflect... I was so rough & ready & raw when I began back in September 2006. I'd only recently got my TEFL, and it was a big shock to be teaching classes of up to 22 young people. I pretty much learnt as I was going along. There were some hits & misses. I experimented, had a lot of fun - and that first year was a surprising success for me. the feedback from many students was enthusiastic & encouraging. I cut my teaching teeth on those first classes...but they lived to tell the tale ;-)
Seven years on, and where am I on my teaching journey? A word used yesterday by the recent graduate was 'inspirational'. This is high praise indeed. It is a word that I cherish. An encouragement to keep going. The older student commented that my Czech had greatly improved! I'm not sure about that, but I know it helps me to understand why Czechs have problems with the mysteries of English. It helps to walk in the other person's shoes (or slippers ;-) ) sometimes.
From my point of view? I love this job so much! Even as I come to the end of this year, I still retain an enthusiasm to continue, to develop my skills, and to be even more creative & spontaneous than perhaps I've been before. English can be fun. My goal, when I got my TEFL, was to be the best teacher of English that I could be. I'm not there yet...but I'm on the way...even if it takes me the rest of my teaching career. It certainly helps to have students who are (on the whole) as enthusiastic about learning & speaking English as I am! The English Club alone would keep me going - but of course, I aim to get the most out of ALL of my lessons. Even 'suplovani' lessons don't get a rest with me :-)
I have also learnt that it's not enough to teach English - over these years I have come to the conclusion that teaching about life is just as important. It seems to be a big gap in the school curriculum. Life values, morals, how to make good decisions, getting along with people etc etc. This has also become part of my work.
However, this is only one side of the story... The other concerns the place where I work, and the staff I work with. Of course, this is not the place to write about such things...well, maybe it is...but I guess this is not the time ;-) There is much that I'm not satisfied with, and perhaps much that I'm not able to change (though I pray for it!). The new building is coming to it's conclusion; but I inclined to go along with Jesus's words, and I would slightly paraphrase them for my purposes...the new wineskin needs some new wine. Lest anyone be kidded, all is not 'hunky dory' at SGO. Even in the last few months, some things have been highlighted. I find it deeply sad that some young people find it so difficult to find anyone to talk to about their deepest problems, that they see so little point in living this wonderful gift of life, that they end up taking their own lives. SGO has also been in the news this year with the situation about Miss Schaffnerova losing her job. The reaction from the students is enough to show that something is not right. Teachers have been very guarded with their comments, and rightly so. All I will say is this - I understand the reaction. As a prestigious school, I believe we need to be as open and transparent as some of those big windows that are in the new building :-)
Change is always a difficult thing - and it needs to happen regularly. Perhaps the best thing I can do is hang on in there & try to influence some of this change for good. I have hope. Hope is a good thing.
I have also noticed that in finishing this 7th year, I have equalled my record for the longest time I have ever spent in a job. I have been a bit of a journeyman when it comes to work. After all these years, it finally looks like I have found a job that I would happily do until I decide to retire, and perhaps become a writer or bird-watcher, or something... The best is still to come - and that is a good thought to end this year on.
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