All entries for Wednesday 11 August 2004

these I have taught

To mark 40 years of doing teaching of one sort or another – have been going though a little mental list of people who have been on the receiving end:

Secondary girls between aged 11 to 15: Biology and Drama,
Chinese boys, 14 to 19: English grammar;
Mixed Chinese secondary pupils, in classes of 50+: English including 'Pride and Prejudice' (I had the only copy…);
Adult learners of English for University of Hong Kong – evening classes;
Hong Kong Police officers for the Government Training Division: a crammer for English tests;
New arrivals from China (during Cultural Revolution): how to use a sewing machine;
Mixed class of Italian and Iranian pilots: English for special purposes;
Housewives in Witham: 'O' Level Sociology;
Mixed adults, Open University: Social Studies Foundation course;
Male inmates in Norfolk prisons: Sociology;
American airmen and women, for the University of Maryland in UK: Social Divisions and Sociology of Education;
Undergraduates at University of Essex, Gender and Employment;
European Social Funded projects: Assertiveness for women;
Community workers and employees of Employment Services: Adult Guidance skills:
UEA mixed undergraduates: work-based skills….

I'm exhausted just trying to remember all this stuff, but, luckily, I’m nearly up to the point where I came to Warwick and everything became much more sensible….......

It’s made me think though – has teaching actually been my career? Even though I never wanted to be a teacher, have never described myself as a teacher and have done many other kinds of work?

: 11 Aug 2004 17:39 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem