Failed Protege

I almost became a teacher myself. Well, actually, I had (have?) many people in my life who wanted (want?) me to be a teacher. I however, knew that I could tutor and help, but not teach.

For my senior years of high school, I was enrolled at a semi-private school. This was quite nice because it was a very small school with very cool teachers. The teachers and students had a different rapport than what was had in most schools---it was like in those cheesy 90s television shows in which the teachers actually cared about their students, and the students could communicate with the teachers as equals rather than as subordinates.

I was very well liked by the teachers at that school because I was what most persons expect from an Asian girl whose first language is English: quiet, polite, studious, and literate. Many of the teachers were nearing retirement during my years there, and I think they were hoping that I would be one of their successors. I wanted very much to be a writer (and sometimes still do), and didn't have much interest in teaching. But my teachers were very quietly nudging me towards post-secondary schools with good education programs, just so my option was there incase I changed my mind.

I wouldn't make a very good teacher because my thoughts can't be organized well verbally, and because I wouldn't be able to handle most types of students. I look too young to be taken seriously by anyone older than 10, and would be too stressed by the fear of permanently "breaking" a child either emotionally or intellectually.

The sad thing is I would probably be a much better teacher than some of the teachers out there. It's a good thing we have people like MrT to "balance things out" (although, no, we shouldn't have any of the incompetent teachers to balance-out).