¿Eres una Profesora?

It's the last week of regular classes at school so I thought it was time to ask and answer the questions I know has been at the top of everyone's "Things to ask Chelsea When She Comes Back From Indonesia" list, right under "How was your trip?" Lucky for you I am giving you a little pre-answer to hold you over until August ;)

Q: ¿Eres una Profesora?

R: No, yo no soy una profesora.
Estoy una Profesora.

Borrowing from Spanish here. The question of the blog is essentially asking: "Are you a teacher" and I am answering No, I am not a teacher. I am a teacher.

Now, a lot is lost in translation here. The Spanish language has 2 forms of the verb "to be": 'Ser' and 'Estar'. 'Ser' is for essential qualities such as physical characteristics, nationality, personality and I think occupation. While 'Estar' is more for transient conditions such as mood, location etc. So essentially I am saying I am not a teacher, as in this is not my profession. But for this short period of time I was given a chance to be a teacher, as a transient condition.

That is not to say that I am not a "teacher". I will always be a "teacher". I like "teaching" skills and helping others achieve something. There are aspects of teaching in many jobs. I just don't know if it will be in the classical style of the class room grade school teacher.


Here is why:

Things I love about teaching:

1-Summers off
Being that this is the first thing I think of when it comes to teaching, probably means that I would be a teacher for the wrong reasons. Regardless, having summers, Christmas break and all other holidays off is a definite bonus of this job :)

2-Working Indoors 8-4
Again, the second thing I think of is another selfish reason. Its nice to have a job inside that you don't have to get up too early for or have to battle the elements in. I am thinking of those memorable times as a mosquito surveyor and camp leader.

3- Kids
The students can be challenging at times, but for the most part they are pretty good. My most rewarding class so far has been the grade 4's. They were rowdy and unruly when I first came and their assignments were terrible. But when they got a stable homeroom teacher and I cracked the whip on them they straightened up and produced much better work and their behaviour improved.
4-Learning is Awesome
I don't really care for Language Arts and Writing (although the novel studies are interesting) but I love teaching Science and even Social Studies has grown on me. I don't know though at what point the material would start becoming old. There is also something rewarding about planning a really cool lesson that your students respond to!


Things I don't like about teaching:

1-The job follows you home (Planning and Marking)
This is one of the things I most dislike about any job. When you have to bring it home. I am new school. I think that work should stay at work and not be a part of your home life, especially if you are staying late. Since I have no family or friends or extra-curriculars here it was easy (outside of report card time) just to stay a bit later and finish things up at work. But I could imagine with a family this wouldn't always be so easy with your spouse and children relying on you, not always so easy to stay till 5 if you need to. I just hate having to bring things home to do and dislike the feeling of work taking over my family and friends time and my personal time.

2-The cess-pool of Germs.
I have been in a school environment all my life and have many jobs working with kids. I guess it just comes with the territory. It would be nice to not be constantly exposed to germs, but really I don't ever see myself working in isolation so I don't think this will ever be off my cons list of any job I have.

3-My Voice/Sanity.
Two important things. I have lost my voice a few times this term, not from yelling, but from talking, talking, talking, explaining, talking, yelling and talking some more. Teachers have to talk a lot. Talking, not my favorite. Also the kids can be a bit nuts and aggravating at times. It makes me feel like the bad guy a lot of the time when I have to be strict. Also sometimes you have to really put your foot down or they will walk all over you, and this can take a lot out of a person, more so than other jobs where you don't have to act the part of the babysitter. I guess high school might be less babysitting...


4-Job Competition
This is not something I have experienced myself, but just the thought of it makes me not want to be a teacher. There are a lot of good teachers out of work right now. And the thought of spending a year and a half in school for a higher level of expertise without a good chance of getting a job somewhere I like in BC makes me not want to pursue this career.

Then there is the "Je ne sais quoi?"
I have had other jobs where I was absolutely stoked to get up in the morning. Maybe stoked is a bit strong, but I was excited about the job. Maybe I am being unrealistic here since it was a summer camp job. But why can't I strive to have a job that I want to go to? I have also had jobs where I dreaded Monday mornings and my boss made me cry. My boss here is much kinder than the bitch in the basement, but still not as exciting as working for the summer camp. And maybe its just being in Indonesia and feeling a bit lonely that is overriding my feelings of excitement and joy, I can't say forsure. I don't expect it to be rainbows and soft fluffy kittens everyday, but I don't know at this point if its my dream job either. Maybe if I was at home and feeling less lonely, maybe if I had more training as an educator and was more comfortable in the job, Maybe...


¿Tu Quieres Ser Una Profesora?
(You want to be a teacher?)

I am going to say that I probably could be a teacher. But I think I would probably just be an average teacher at least I feel very average now. Although I think I would have the potential to be a great teacher in a field I was passionate about, like Bio or how to cook Kraft Mac and Cheese for 12 in 1 pot on a camp stove....

So maybe one day.