My Part-time Jobs

Name: Gina Lee 49612018
Instructor: I-Ming Shih
Course number:2022
2009 Jan.9
My Part-time Jobs

This semester I have two part-time jobs. One is teaching English in a cram school, and the other is teaching a girl English and math. Although two jobs seem similar however, they are totally different. There are three major differences between them, which is the way I teach, the time I prepare for, and the salary I get.
Teaching English in a cram school makes me exhausted because I have to face eleven students at the same time. I need to make sure that every student is following what I say. For example, when I teach an alphabet, I will ask them to raise their hands and practice writing. They finish writing the alphabet three times on their exercise books before I teach the next one. I had to wait for those students who had not finished, because I must care every student at the same time. In addition, learning how to control a class is very important because it is not allowed for the students to be out of control or too noisy. In contrast, as a tutor, I can just focus on a student so it is much easier for me. I don’t have to spend lots of time preparing activities because I just teach her and answer her questions. Moreover, I feel relaxed when I teach a student because the class is flexible. I can adjust the schedule depended on the situation for the student. For instance, I will give her 15 minutes to ask questions before I start to teach a new lesson. If she has difficulties to understand what I teach, I will spend more time explaining it until she really comprehends.
Second, I have to spend more time preparing material for a class than a tutoring session. Before giving a class, I need to think about how I will teach. Whether teachers can teach a class well depends not on their knowledge but on the method. For example, I think and design some activities or games during the class, so they can not only learn something from my class but also have fun. Children may learn more from activities and games. Boring class, in contrast, cannot arouse their interest in English. Hence, the preparation before a class is important. However, tutoring is easier and simple. I seldom prepare for that because I can answer her questions and teach her the knowledge I have learned before. In addition, I don’t have to spend time designing activities. Printing and searching for quiz questions may take the most time, because I sometimes give tests to my student to know whether she really learned and reviewed after class.
The salary I get as a tutor is much higher than I teach in the cram school. I think the reason is that the former is depended on my academic performance. If I study at more famous and excellent university, I may get higher salary; the later is depended on my teaching experience. For instance, an experienced teacher will teach students well, and many students may be attracted by her. Hence, she become famous and many students would like to teach by her. The more students she teaches, and the better salary she gets.
I get different experiences from these two part-time jobs. Even though I earn less money from teaching a class, I gain a better sense of achievement from it. Moreover, those cute and innocent children give me the passion for teaching. It may be the other type of“salary.” I know I still have to learn and improve myself so that I can do well on these two jobs.