Despite the fact I haven’t been doing casual or substitute teaching (so then unlikely to successfully obtain a short-term teaching contract and then eventually gain a permanent position – more about this in another post, perhaps) there still don’t seem to be lot of openings in my subject area, even in remote and rural areas that are deemed to be in need of teachers. Sobered by the prospect of extended unemployability (in teaching) I decided further qualifications were needed and enrollefd in the Bachelor of In-Service Conversion course (in some areas referred to as SKE courses, Methods courses or TSST training). I briefly considered Maths. Maths teachers are currently the most highly sought after. There’s also a Maths teacher superhero in my state and one could do far worse than to emulate him. But after a white-knuckle experience with an evaluation exam I switched to English. I’m now in my second term of an immersive deep-dive into the world of poetry, drama, novels and literary criticism. The first three are thoroughly rewarding and enriching subjects to study. And what of literary criticism? I’m slowly learning to appreciate the critic and the critic’s role. But have you seen the stuff they write? The typical article ranges from a work of genius to convoluted insanity and everything in between. You never know what to expect. However, there’s no point in being smug. Every time I write an English assignment I’m engaging in literary criticism.
Diary of a Late-Life Career Change