Well, it looks like my teaching career is over right enough. I had a meeting today at the college. My contract has not been renewed. I am a good teacher - they were pleased with my work and they will give me good references. But the course that I was recruited onto has been the most enormous failure. The college actually stopped recruiting students onto it in March. Just a terrible shame that they never thought to tell their teachers what was happening!
The whole market for teaching IT at the moment is very poor. Although I was offered 4 hours work early in the autumn at another college I turned it down and was right to do so. I could never have got a livelihood out of teaching IT. The foot in the door thing doesn't always work. I was talking to my singing teacher last night and she told me that the only way part-time teaching could work for teachers was if they had a breadwinner in the family to support them. She's a part-time teacher herself (her hours make it easier for her to pick up her young daughter from school) but could not do it without the financial support of her husband.
I have told my college now about my storytelling activities and they were really interested. Karen (Curriculum Leader) said, "How exciting! I've never met a real storyteller before!" They could see at once its relevance to teaching/education and literacy, particularly in primary schools. They could also see how I could carve out a niche for myself locally.
Well, so that's over. Very disappointing for me. A great pity that I couldn't go further. Still, at least I got someone to employ me for a time (even if it was short and sweet). Onwards and upwards!
Meeting at college - teaching over
This is a great disappointment even though you were expecting it. What is wrong with those people? I hope your name will be kept on file if they find they made a mistake in letting you go. Try and keep up your spirits and hopefully something will come through that you can make a living with it. You have gotten much experience this past summer and fall, though you didn't make any money from it, but it was good experience meeting professional story tellers . Just keep making connections with those who are in the various fields, somewhere, someone has to be looking for someone like you. Take care, watch for any opportunities, and I will still keep worrying about you. Hugs, Doris
Thank you Doris. I will concentrate on my storytelling from now on.