I started teaching at the age of 20...now, I am 38 and I am still in the academe. I didn't really want to teach then but i needed the job and teaching flung itself on me right after my graduation. So I said what the heck, let's try it and if it works then so be it.
Some may not understand it but despite the bad experiences I love being in the academe...the good experiences far outweigh the bad ones. I love what I am doing.
Every now and then I go out of teaching to try new things: I tried public relations (I loved it but I was subjected to university politics); I tried writing workbooks for high school (migraine was hell); I was also a trainer for IELTS (The interaction was different, it was boring!); I tried the call center industry (It just didn't work.)
Everytime I go back to teaching my life becomes happier, more active and more productive. Yes, I still have bad students (or students who do not like my style of teaching) but I have my good students and students who appreciate what I do for them. I still encounter parents who think their kids are the most behaved people (despite the truth) but there are parents who understand that their kids need to be trained to be better adults. I still have co-teachers whom I do not get along with but i have more friends to back me up. Some students say that they do not want to be in my class...but I don't mind because there are students who want to be in my class and who tell me that I should've been their teacher for the sem.
I was born to teach and I will remain a teacher till the end.
