I’m helping my dad mark homework!
As a child I always wanted to be a teacher – just like my dad – or an air stewardess, an actress or a dancer. Things didn’t quite work out as planned, I suffer terribly from travel sickness, have two left feet and didn’t even get the right qualification to train as a teacher. I did study, though, but then I moved to England to get married and start a family.A few years later I had a phone call from the local college. Could I teach a group of adults German? Their German teacher had to give up teaching and they didn’t have anybody else.
I’d love to?
But I’m not a teacher!
I did have my doubts but I was far too excited to say no, and I also got training. Still, I do remember my first lesson: I was extremely nervous and was shaking like a leaf. Yet one student commented afterwards on how confident I seemed. A few weeks later I was asked about some German grammar. I had no idea! I knew the sentence was correct but I didn’t know why. “I’ll tell you next week,” I used to say, then rush home and rummage through all my books to find the answer. But I persevered and teaching got easier. As part of my college training I had to be observed and the observer’s comment was “You’re taking to teaching like a duck to water!”This spurred me on to become a student again, and a few years later I passed my PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) in primary education.
I was a proper teacher!
I enjoyed teaching the little ones but didn’t enjoy teaching subjects like Science, P.E. or Art. I prefered Literacy and after school German clubs. Then, just like the children move up in school, I moved up. First I taught infants, then I did a lot of supply in junior schools, then I taught German at secondary schools and now I teach adults.
And I love it!
I teach my favourite subject to a variety of people, aged 5 – 80 years old. I do translations or help companies with phone calls or emails to Germany. No two days are the same. I recently also started teaching English as a foreign language. During my first lesson, I felt exactly as I did during my first ever German lesson. I was extremely nervous, but again, nobody noticed.
Remember, I wanted to be an actress? Well, sometimes I am … 😉
Awww, you look just like your dad! I bet he’s proud of you.
Thanks, Sarah, he was!