Yeah, so I still love my job, but right now I'm feeling kinda low about things. Two of my students came to me after class and told me that they were sorry, but that some of the other students were upset, and didn't like my class, because, in a nutshell, I'm not their previous teacher. They wanted me to know because they don't like the negative attitude of some of the other students. This happens, not only to me, I know, but to other teachers, perhaps with those students who have had me as a teacher, and then have moved on to someone else.

I'm a good teacher. I'm well-trained, certified by the state (for whatever that's worth) and experienced. I have a very relaxed, casual style of teaching, with lots of conversation and vocabulary. I try to make it fun. This is why I do not teach the upper level classes. They are almost exclusively grammar, and that is not where I excel. The problem comes in (for me) when the students have had a previous teacher who is much more traditional in style and technique, and especially if that's what they think school is supposed to be, that's what they want from all their teachers. The problem comes in (for other teachers who inherit my students), when they do exactly the same thing they have done before, which made their students in the past happy. But now their current students think that class should be fun and relaxed and they should have lots of time for unstructured conversation, as well as the grammar and other things necessary for that particular level. So now they're unhappy.

I work with many very good teachers. I don't know the answer to this problem. The worst part of it is that there will be students who don't learn in the class with the new teacher because they are dissatisfied. They roll their eyes at efforts at conversation by other students in the class, or they get bored with just following the book, and are sometimes intimidated by the strictness of the rules; it really doesn't matter what the new teacher does...they're not their first or previous teacher, and therefore will never be good enough.

Sigh...even though this doesn't happen to me often, I know it won't be the last time. I would assume that it happens in other areas of education, as well as in other industries. If one goes to work at a new place, it's hard not to compare people and things, especially if you liked your previous job. That new doctor doesn't listen to us the same way the old one did...I'll never love this car as much as that first one...

I guess it's just a part of life.

How very profound. ;>)