It is more than ten years ago now but I’ll never forget my first day teaching. I am a Chemist but I had worked as a financial adviser in London.
After my marriage I came to France and had a daughter. I started looking for a job in vain. One day I saw a mother who said her daughter’s English teacher was leaving and there was nobody to replace her and she gave me the name of the person recruiting. I phoned and had the interview and she said you start tomorrow. And gave me the books and the address of the school.
I went there but the person who recruited me wasn’t there and the parents started leaving their children aged 5 and 6 and going. I said are you leaving me alone? They said of course you are the teacher. What a stupid question!
I was terrified never ever had thought before But I was a member of English speaking community and taking my daughter to the play groups. My daughter was 4 or 5 too and I had brought her alone to the first lesson as I couldn’t organise the baby sitting at a short notice. The children were sitting and looking at me and I didn’t know what to do.
But my daughter very calm took her puppet rabbit out started a puppet show I carried on with that. Children loved it and then my daughter started singing and the children sang along. I was relaxed by then and I did my class like a playgroup.
Thanks to my 5 year old daughter I succeeded my first day teaching. Now I’m a very successful teacher my daughter is 15 and I teach young teenagers. My daughter always inspired me how to teach. Because she knows how she’d like to learn.
That was my first day!
From France