Finding My Niche

I haven't been subbing much, which is why I don't have so many crazy/interesting/horrible stories to share here. Instead, I've been offered a position at a language school, where I'll be splitting my time with the small college. It's ESL...strange how a couple of years ago my dream was to teach high school English and as I try out these various teaching experiences, I become more and more drawn to teaching adults from around the world. It seems to fit me. At the high school level, I'm inevitably forced to be part teacher, part disciplinarian. Oh, and part punching bag for those teens with out-of-wack hormones and an affinity for being easily offended. With adults, I get to be all teacher. They want to be there, or even if they don't want to be there, they generally have the maturity level not to show it.

Teaching at this level is not without its surprises though. For instance, at this new language school where I interviewed on Monday, I was simply hoping they'd consider me for a position next semester. After talking herself into believing my experience was sufficient (my year and a half of teaching plus a couple of years of tutoring don't exactly add up to the four-year teaching requirement), she mentioned that they were in dire need of a new teacher for a 12-hour (!) American cinema course. Would I be interested?

Hell, yeah. I love movies! I'd like to spend my life doing nothing but watching movies and then discussing them over wine in mellow dive bars with groups of prententious cinephiles...if only I could. Well, maybe just a couple months doing that. My point is, I love to watch movies, love to think about movies, love to discuss movies. Since I also love to teach, doesn't this seem like the perfect course for me?

Okay, so I've never taken a film course in my life, much less taught one. Plenty of other teachers out there know way more about film than I do. In fact, my competition was a 60-year-old filmmaker with a Ph.D. and loads of teaching experience. So the chances of them hiring me?

Well, who cares what the odds are because they gave me the freaking course!

My one guess is that the filmmaker turned them down, but maybe not. I got the idea that the director really wanted to hire me all along. Maybe she wants to make me her pet?

Sooo...new schedule for this semester. Monday, Wednesday - teach vocabulary and grammar courses at School #1. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - teach American cinema at school #2. Friday off (unless I fill in for one of the other teachers). Sunday off. No more high school for a while.

Next semester...well, there goes that unpredictability again. Maybe they'll let me teach the American music course!

I love my job. And I'm so happy I can finally say that.