Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I'm The Teacher, Dammit

Yesterday leaving class, I hopped in a cab. It was 11 am, and a beautiful day was ahead of me. Of work. Whatever, it was nice out and I was looking forward to a ride home with the windows down.

Little did I know the third degree that was about to result. I mean, I'm used to chatting with the local taxistas, but sheesh was I ever getting a cross examination! Where was I going? Why? Weren't there more classes in the afternoon? How many hours of class had I already done?

Eventually, he asked what I studied. I said, "I'm the International Relations teacher."

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH. Well, didn't that change things. Apparently, my taxi driver is the unofficial director of his own one man truancy squad, and had thought I was a lazy student skipping out on my afternoon classes. He was totally apologetic about grilling me.

In some ways, I get where he's coming from. Skipping is a problem, and the university actually has attendance policies that fail you if you miss too much class. The kicker was when he said I looked too young to be a teacher.

My students said this to me today too, when one of them asked how old I was. They don't believe I'm 30 on my way to 31.

On one hand, completely fine and awesome. I blend in on campus walking around, and who wants to look like an old lady? On the other hand, well, I AM A TEACHER HERE. I'm not a student, and sometimes I need to be teacher-y about things and its frustrating when administrators and others think you're just another enrollee. I got the hairy eye in the teacher's lounge the other day until I started grading some stuff, and when I hand out grades I want to be viewed as an authority and not the "big sister" or a peer.

So . . . in a completely odd train of thought . . . I'm trying to think about how to come across as older. It's like my freshman year of college all over again, and it feels a little weird. We'll just see how it goes . . .

3 comments:

  1. not schlumping around in lazy college kid wear that is the standard for a free lance writer who works on her couch might be a start. less blending less comfort more power!!! duh. granted i'm a professional schlumper myself so what can i say.

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  2. The funny thing is, if I DON'T wear jeans to class, the other teachers will look at me funny. The only people I know here who wear full suits are old men on the street and the ladies who work in the administrative office. You know, the *nice* ladies you have to go through to get attendance lists processed or figure out why a student who paid for a class isn't showing up as registered.

    Some of the male teachers throw on a jacket with their jeans. I do wear flats instead of the traditional high heels with my jeans, but that's because I can't walk on the cobbled road here like the natives. They have pro power and I have a fear of a hospital trip for a busted ankle. It's kind of a bummer - I miss super high heels!

    I've been thinking haircut . . . right now my hair almost to the middle of my back, which is student length. Except I kind of like it being that long . . . my sister is also bringing me some makeup in two weeks when she visits, as I've been making do with powder since I ran out of my pale face foundation in the land of the naturally tan.

    On another note - yay for professional schlumping! Also: are you holiday season all-starring at the mall again this year?

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  3. no i am not. doing a holiday job loses me unemployment benefits but makes me less money so no go on that one. fun fun. and ten dollars says i could power walk in high heels on the cobbles. just throwing that out there. you could keep the hair that long but i bet if you've let it get that long you havent had a style cut into it in ages either. that might work. who knows. maybe a nametag would do the trick too.

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