Confessions of a (soon to be) Teacher

While I understand that this concern may only apply to five people in the course, I cannot help but say this is the thing foremost on my mind. When I first researched the TA position I now hold, I didn’t understand why they would require a semester in the Writing Center. Being that I’m in the middle of that position, I now completely understand why. I was ignorant to exactly what being a WC tutor was and how it would train me to become a composition teacher. I cannot begin to imagine how woefully unprepared I would have been had I not spent a semester in the WC.

I’ve known for several years that university teaching is where I wanted to end up. I knew that I loved English study and research; I also knew that university teaching is likely the path I would set upon. Now that I’m coming face-to-face with my potential future career, I can’t help but be concerned. Am I going to be a good teacher? Will students respond to my teaching techniques? Am I even qualified to command a classroom? These are all things that have been squatting in the back of my mind demanding my attention and consideration.

I must say that I am quite impressed by Weber State’s commitment to training their Teaching Assistants. I have had more than one professor tell me that, when they started TAing, they were tossed into a classroom on their first day and expected to perform as a seasoned professional. I appreciate that WSU recognizes that teaching is something that itself needs to be taught. Without the Tutoring Writers course – in tandem with the WC tutor position – I am unsure what kind of teacher I would make. Could I perform at the level needed to produce strong university level writers? Doubtful.

However, my biggest fear is that I may hate teaching. This is what I have been preparing for my entire college career. I decided in high school that I wanted to teach. I later decided that I loved the university atmosphere so much that I wanted to remain there for the rest of my professional life. I suppose I fear that it turns out like Math. Despite the common Humanities myth, I’m quite good at math. I’m a logical enough thinker that the mathematical system of equations and formulas makes perfect sense to me. However, I cannot stand math. The classes are boring and I find them lacking in passion and transcendental meaning. This is why I love English. It nourishes my mind and soul in a way that math never could. So, I suppose the tail end of this brain-dump expresses a fear that teaching may not fulfill me in the way I imagined. That being said, I hold out immense hope that it is everything I wanted it to be. That I can stand in front of the classroom and engage students into appreciating, nay enjoying, the writing and composition process.

So, that’s that. Also, as a California native, the snow is beautiful. I know that, come February, I’ll likely hate everything and spend my free time wishing I could be in the 75 degree weather of SoCal. But, for now, the snow is beautiful and the cold tolerable.