A friend of mine once gave me a sweater featuring the line "The Truly Educated Never Graduate." Those who know me might think, "How right he was, and is." Since losing my job due to budget cuts, I have returned to school in order to at least start the process of acquiring another post-graduate degree.
Those who know me will laugh--or simply nod their heads and roll their eyes--when they read this, because I always seem to head back to school after being away from it for short periods of time. I tend to head back as a teacher, yes, but even more often, it seems, as a student.
I'm certified to teach English in Minnesota to grades 5 to 12 (ages 10 to 18, or thereabouts), and I've also taught English at the university level. My educational and work background allowed me to teach English and a few other subjects to high schoolers in England, as well. This time around, I'm hoping to eventually become certified to teach Literacy and Reading to both immigrant children and "struggling" readers whose native country is the U.S. I've done some of this type of work in the past, and found it rewarding.
We'll see how things go. Obviously, financial constraints and employment opportunities will play a big role with regards to how this process plays out. So, too, will the fact that Mrs. Hasslington and I may or may not stay in the U.S. over the long-term. But while I find that my collections of university and post-university degrees (along with my various certifications) continues to grow over time, and while I find that this fact often limits my job opportunities due to pay scale issues, I also enjoy the process of returning to a university setting somewhat regularly.
It's true that in some cases the "truly educated" (whatever that means) do not graduate from school, though it's equally true that many "truly educated" folks have long-since graduated. Hence, it's difficult to pigeonhole people in these regards. It was, however, my grandfather's firm belief that the more formal education you can get, the better, particularly if you "link" it with a mindset that considers informal education as equally important and complementary to formal education. So, here I go again.
Besides, yesterday I took part in a round-table talk that dealt with academic discussions and disagreements regarding what constitutes "multiculturalism" and "authentic multicultural literature," and the extent to which these discussions should "play out" across the disciplines and at all educational levels. Prior to that, I helped a kindergartener add six apples to four bananas. (We managed to get the final sum correct.)
I enjoyed both activities very much.
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2 comments:
I have also taught English as a second language and found it rewarding. It can be an interesting way to get a fresh perspective on our own language.
Education, formal or informal, has always seemed to me to be something that one does for themselves. Educators, teachers of all kinds, are really there to make the process of self-education more efficient, once critical thinking and the knack of learning how to learn have been taught.
Dog Gone,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I agree with what you have to say.
Right now, there just isn't a whole lot of work out there for teachers, except for those who are tenured and those who are just getting out of their university experience, the former of whom tend to be a bit "untouchable" and the latter of whom tend to be cheap to hire.
I haven't been back from England long enough to be tenured in Minnesota, and my academic and work resumes are such that I've become quite expensive to hire. (Oh, if they only knew how low down the pay scale I'd agree to at this point!...)
As a consequence, my recent job was cut due to budget constraints, and I'm not getting many "bites" on other jobs in the teaching profession.
So, if this continues, I'll have to transition into something else, which I'm quite willing to do. What that might be, and where it might be, is anyone's guess right now. We'll see.
Life continues to be an adventure, at least.
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