Darling Beau and I are both part-time professors, on top of everything else happening in our lives. In fact, he's more of one than me, because he teaches in all the semesters of law school, and more importantly, at least for this term, he teaches 3 loads (meaning 3 classes) of students versus my lone class on Saturday mornings. His classes are all on weeknights, which to me are even more tiring, because not only will you have traffic to contend with at rush hour, you also tend to be low-batt already and talking for hours on end to a group of youngsters may not be the ideal way to end the day. And let's not even talk about compensation. This is not one of those jobs that slap your face with moolah to shut your gripes up. Indeed, teaching is more a calling than a profession. In fact, Dennis and I have come to see it more like charity work or volunteer work rather than a sideline or a job. Let me explain why.
Granted, teaching does bring in some dough, though not earth-shattering, that can offset some expenses. For instance, we computed that, from our teaching, we can likely pay off basic utilities like electricity and water every month. That's something, right? Or if we save it in a fund, it can buy a nice appliance after 4-5 months. But if you're one to put a value to your hours, then teaching may feel like a rip-off. Then again, if you think about it, when your company asks you to do overtime, it doesn't always pay you accordingly. At least this does. If you while away your time at the mall or surfing lazily at home, that doesn't pay either (in fact, it may even cost ya!) At least with this, your time goes to a good use.
On the flip side, teaching does take a lot out of you in the ff sense:
1. The hours you spend in class are about 80% you talking and 20% your students reciting. This means a stretched voice, lower back and legs a bit sore from standing and walking in the classroom, and the risk of wrinkles from the grief and undue stress if your students frustrate you. Multiply this by 4 for weekly classes to get a sense of the toll it takes on you per month. Multiply it by 3 then by 4 to get a sense of what Dennis goes through.
2. More than the hours spent in the classroom, the pre-work takes a longer toll on your time and energy. It's not just the research, mind you. It's the planning of the lesson plan, the syllabus and the actual teaching material. It's also making sure there's a healthy balance of theory and practice in the material, then also incorporating some time for free discussion. The good news is once you get one sem's worth of material done, all you have to do in succeeding semesters is to update it a bit. Then you're off. So it's more worth it when you intend to teach over a long period of time. If you only plan to do it in one semester, then the pre-work will definitely be a bitch.
3. There is a value to added sleep hours that you just can't put a number on :p And of course, if you're one to relish taking beach trips on the weekends, going on quick and unplanned excursions out-of-town or hibernating at home when there's no work, then teaching will feel like punishment. Don't even think of getting into it.
So, why do we do this? Again, as I said, we've come to see this as volunteer work, as a way of giving back to the world, to God and to the institution of education, for the blessings we've received in our lives. Just like other volunteer work, it is very rewarding, especially when you realize you're getting through to the kids and that they actually emerge better people as a result of your class. There is an immense satisfaction in seeing that, even if you don't have kids yet, you've helped somehow in the raising of someone else's child-- in the molding of his or her mind for the eventual pursuit of a meaningful profession. There's a palpable sense of fulfillment and a great pride in seeing your efforts bear fruit. Sometimes, I even think of it as a rehearsal for parenthood. Last night, I bumped into some students while walking to Greenbelt. They're working now, either as 5th year residents or as fresh graduates, and I felt some strange mix of pride and nostalgia as though they were my own kids. In fact, I still find myself interested in what they're doing and how they're doing. And I told my class earlier that if they need help on anything, they know how to reach me. And I meant it.
Also, there are other selfish motivations. For instance, working as a marketer and being immersed in a materialistic, overly commercialized world, I find a unique sense of sanity in the classroom-- it reminds me that not everything is about making revenues or increasing sales. There are better and more noble jobs out there. And since teaching is one of them, it gives me a sense of purpose and a different sense of calm to top off the week. I feel better, in other words. Less stressed. More balanced out. Another motivation is it's a reminder to me that meritocracy still exists in this world. That in the sanctity of the four walls of a classroom, if you put in the work and the effort, it will pay off. It doesn't matter who you know, how rich you are, or if you can suck up really well. A level-playing field is not extinct after all. A third motivation is sometimes, your students actually end up teaching you. They let you in on what the new generations are about, what they are into, how they think and how they feel. They also force you to go back to basics and lose all the complications that adult life can sometimes push you to take on. Life can be and should be easy. And fun.
So all in all, it's not a bad gig. It's destressing, it's calming, it's fun, and it's fulfilling. Sure, it means waking up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning or getting home at 9 on a weeknight. It can also mean a few hours every week updating notes or a powerpoint file. But all in all, the fruits come weightier than the costs. And the teaching part makes the working part of life much more bearable. It's not for everyone, of that I am very sure, but it's definitely for us.
Teacher, teacher! :)
P.S. I'm just on my 2nd sem as a teacher, but I realize I've come to really "own" this thing. In fact, when considering getting married around Sept next year, one of the things Dennis & I immediately considered were our classes, i.e. Oh no, we won't be able to teach... Hahaha! Intense! :p
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