I saw this plate by Jeanne von Hirschberg and it really made me think. I am neither an early bird nor a night owl. I like to be in bed by 10.30pm, and if I could choose I would wake up naturally between 7 and 8pm. Despite this, I have days where I start teaching early birds at 6.45am.
My students prefer workplaces with flexible working hours. This is not just because it allows them to do day care drop-offs and pick-ups, but also because they can work when they are most effective. I have one student I have been teaching for 25 years who starts work at 9.30am and finishes at about 7.30pm. Despite her long working hours and being the hardest worker I know, she says that people tend to believe she is lazy, due to her not being at her best in the early morning and starting work later. I have mentioned this to other students who are at their best later in the morning, and they tend to agree. Society is built on an 8 or 9 to 5, and anyone outside that box is ‘not normal’.
I have asked other people as well, and they generally say that if you make it known that you not at your best in the early morning (or would like to start work later), there appears to be some judgement about your work ethic. Many brilliant creatives are night owls. I wonder if the sometimes skewed view of the cultural sector affect how we view people who would like to work later on in the day?
How is it possible to be teaching the same student for 25 years? Whatever the domain of expertise, the average length of tuition is 5 years, extended to an other three years for fome subjects.
But 25 years??? Is that student particularly slow or does she lack independence?
Because she likes having English, because she enjoys it and because she pays for it. She is at a very high level so in this case I am a mentor rather than a teacher. We work with authentic material for high level negotiations in a niche field.
I see. Indeed, no textbook beats authentic material. It gives more work to the teachers to make research and provide authentic documents but it is worth it.
I agree!
Sweden does not use interpreters in international contexts, so people have to do everything in English. It puts them at a disadvantage, unless they are at mother-tongue level, so investment in language training is usually necessary.
I have never been a “morning person”. When I started working I found that it took 4 cups of coffee before I began to operate well enough for my job. When I found a job I could set my own hours I used to work the “twilight” shift 4 days a week. Starting work at midday and finishing at 10 pm suited my body and even now, in retirement, I find it easier to get my cleaning done in the afternoons and early evenings. I prefer going to bed around 3 or 4 am (unless I am ill) and getting up around noon.