Taking the bus to the city gives me a lot of time to think. Actually, just being in the countryside gives me a lot of time to think. There's not much to do here outside of my hobbies, so if I get tired of staying indoors my options are pretty limited. There's a small mart downtown, a pleasant little lake down the road, and a humble Buddhist temple in the mountain behind my house. If I want to enjoy any kind of night life, I've gotta take an hour-long bus ride to the nearest city. No matter where I go, I'll have a lot of quiet time to do some thinking.
What do I think about? Teaching, usually. How I can do better, which techniques are working and which aren't, how do I maintain my sanity... Don't get the wrong idea, I love teaching, and I love my kids. But they are exhausting. Having fun with the students can quickly change into becoming their own private entertainment, and that's something I try to avoid.
After a particularly tiring field trip, one of my coworkers shared some wisdom with me: rookie teachers give all of their energy to the students, while veterans instead take their energy from the kids. It's good advice, I think, and there are days when I feel like I've got a handle on the concept. Then there are days the kids leave me feeling so drained all I wanna do after work is sit and stare wistfully across my pleasant little lake while drinking a Bud (imported, of course).
On that note, I taught myself how to open a beer bottle with my house key the other night. So cool.
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