#出国留学##野蛮生长##寻找自我##人物故事#
This is the 4,256th real story we have told
My name is Sophia, a native of Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province born in the 90s, and I am currently working as an art teacher in the UK.
My parents were businessmen, so I didn't worry about food and clothing since I was a child, and I made my own decisions about everything, and I spent a happy childhood.
At the age of 18, I chose to study abroad because of my failure in the entrance examination, but I was troubled by language and had a hard time studying.
After graduating with a master's degree, it was not easy to find a job, so I decided to continue to "trial and error" and return to China to develop sales. The result can be imagined, because he is not good at it and ends in failure.
After discussing with my parents, I clarified my English advantages, returned to the UK to become an art teacher, unexpectedly discovered new ideas for education, and opened a new chapter in my life in surprise.
(When I was a child)
I have three siblings in my family, an older brother and a younger sister, and I am the second.
Both parents are post-70s businessmen, who are bold and energetic, keeping up with the torrent of the times to do business, maneuvering and calculating in the market.
At the beginning of the 20th year, with the rise of song and dance halls, my parents did a lantern business in Dongguan for a period of time, and later changed to passenger transportation because they did not make money.
It can be said that my family's business has always followed the market. But there are many children in the family and the cost of raising a baby is high, so until now, it is still an ordinary middle-class family.
When I was a child, my parents were very busy, so they didn't care much about me. I played with my brother and his classmates every day, and encouraged them to go to the market, go down to the river and climb the mountain, which was also savage.
At that time, I was free, I didn't go to any cram school, and I did whatever I wanted.
(Lantern Business)
My parents let me run along, and I only had to pay for the whole process. So all along, I've been a loner, comparing myself, and making my own decisions at all times.
My parents would also tell me, "Be cautious in what you do, nothing in the world is absolute, there are two sides to everything, there are good and bad, you need to measure it yourself." ”
I keep in mind that I will avoid risks in everything and determine whether it is worth doing. If it's worth it, I'll do my best, and if not, I'll take responsibility for my actions.
But my grades are average, so I'm a little worried, what if I can't get into college? There's got to be a school. Therefore, in the later stage of high school, I chose art and embarked on the road of art examination.
I started studying art in junior high school, and after taking the art exam, I was admitted to the second book in China. I wasn't quite satisfied, so I thought, "Is there another way out?" Why don't you go abroad! ”
(Preparing to study abroad)
So, at the age of 17, when the Internet was not so convenient and there was a large information gap with the outside world, I chose to study language classes, learn IELTS, find an agent, and send myself to the UK, an old mecca for studying abroad.
But soon, I found myself not adapting to the local educational environment.
The school emphasizes self-directed learning, students arrange their own time, teachers don't care at all, everything needs to be on their own.
Especially in large classes, the teacher's speech speed is even faster, and the teaching directly starts around the important knowledge points and syllabus, and then informs the exam content.
Fortunately, there are also small classes, and the teacher can pay attention to everyone, check everyone's progress first, and then prescribe the right medicine.
But the teacher doesn't teach how to do it, he only guides the students how to get the knowledge and information they want.
Initially, it was particularly difficult to adapt. And the teacher will not slow down the teaching progress just because there are foreigners in the class.
(I'm with Newcastle University)
However, there is a saying that does not mean that the truly strong never complain about the environment.
Although I am not a strong person, I know how to adapt to society, not society to adapt to us.
But how to adapt? In order to practice my speaking, I decided to get out of school and integrate into British society.
It just so happened that I met a Taiwanese missionary who helped me join the Church of England. He was baptized in his second year of college and was invited to the traditional "Sunday dinner" every weekend.
At the same time, I also volunteered to sort out clothes for second-hand stores in the UK for four or five years. Gradually, my listening and speaking improved. In the process, I also accumulated a lot of contacts and made links with the British.
In this way, I successfully kept up with the teacher's teaching progress, and took the initiative to communicate with the teacher about the syllabus, exam requirements, etc., and previewed in advance, walking in the forefront of the team.
(Photo of church members)
Language is raised, but difficulties in other disciplines are coming. I was full of resistance to speeches and courses, and my scores kept falling, and I was inevitably a little disappointed.
The tutor said to me, "You have to know that you have paid the tuition fee, and you have spent so much money to come here, what can our school provide for you?" What do you want to do in the future? You have to ask yourself, or no one will know what you want. ”
At that moment, I was so touched that I immediately made a list and wrote down my plans. Then I was amazed to find that education in the UK treats every student equally and respects individual differences.
(Photo of the charity dinner organised by the school)
For outstanding students, the school will try its best to match them according to the student's own pursuits, and give him resources to send him to the top.
Even if the school has never had a record of taking the Oxford or Cambridge exams, if the students are outstanding enough and have ideas, the school will try its best to pave the way for the students.
For mediocre students, they will be patient and encouraged, they believe that everyone has their own ideas and the progress of life, as long as the students are satisfied, it is the best life.
Regardless of the type of student, they can get the help to achieve their own unique life.
Gradually, I became more and more identified with the educational methods and cultural values here. In my opinion, education in the UK is like a relationship between "Party A and Party B", I am Party A and the school is Party B.
And this is perfect for me, who is relatively independent, as long as I play my identity as Party A, how can I not live the life I want?
(Me and my mentor)
So, I began to analyze myself, what kind of life do I really want? Is it like my parents who "dare to dare to do it" and mix smoothly in the business field?
But in fact, I have never handled the family's business, and I can't "judge the situation and make decisions on the spot" like my parents, on the contrary, I am more suitable for "lying flat" and living a less hard life.
In terms of artist's attainments, I really don't have an advantage, so I decided to settle for the next best thing and find a relatively good job.
However, after graduating from graduate school, when I really faced the general social environment in the UK, I realized that it is not easy to find a career breakthrough, and I still need to put in a lot of hard work to continue to work in the field of art.
So, I chose to return to China first, because I was an international student, and I always received English-related offers at that time.
But I never looked down on it, and felt that it was too easy, so I planned to challenge myself and interviewed for a marketing position in a Guiyuan in Foshan.
(A Guiyuan annual meeting)
But people are often like this, always love to do challenges, to do something that they are not good at, and I was quickly overwhelmed by the high-intensity work of sales.
Later, I thought about it, I was limited by my inherent thinking, and I was blind to my time cost. In fact, everyone has what they are good at, and only by focusing on the right field and working hard in the right way can we get out of our wonderful life.
If Messi hadn't found out that he was good at football and had opted for mathematics, the result would have been predictable. So, we have to find that "football".
After that, I left my job decisively, joined New Oriental for IELTS English training, and returned to the field I am good at. That's when I realized that teaching English was easier for me and better than others.
At that moment, I really found myself on the path of professional development and decided to pursue a career in education.
(A class scene in the East)
But it didn't last long, and I quickly became tired due to the long hours and performance pressure, which didn't seem to have anything to do with what I had imagined.
By chance, I clicked on the webpage and saw a recruitment information for teachers in the UK, and suddenly my eyes lit up, but I didn't expect that the position of teacher is in short supply in the UK, and teachers don't need to communicate with parents, just complete the education content.
I quickly contacted the other party and found that there were many positions to choose from, and combined with the expertise of art students, I eventually became a secondary school art teacher.
My parents were also very supportive and said: "We have pension money, don't worry about it, go and pursue your life, as long as you are happy, don't you have brothers and sisters at home, and besides, we can also visit each other?" ”
Once I got my consent, I left for England and started my teaching career.
(During class)
There is no middle school or high school in the UK, only grades, grades 7-11 are equivalent to junior high school, and grades 12-13 are equivalent to high school.
In the early stages of the UK, there will be a career week, and all subject teachers will leave 20 minutes in each class to understand the learning path of the subject: what occupations can be done, what is the median salary, and what qualifications are required.
At first, I thought it was just a casual science popularization, or in the first week of class, after all, in the traditional concept, Chinese and English are the main subjects, and the grades are the hard currency.
But after a week, my mind changed completely, and the school took the design of the course seriously. The popularity of this kind of career planning class makes the future development path clear to students at once. In other words, students choose my class because they love art.
In addition, they will learn more and more: in the 10th grade, they will choose 6-9 courses from a dozen courses, and in the 12th grade, they will choose 3-4 subjects from 6-9, and finally take the exam to apply to university.
(Work by junior high school students)
I was impressed by this unprecedented teaching plan, and even though I went out early and returned late every day, I was pleasantly surprised by this way of teaching.
In one class, I assessed the students according to the requirements of the course, asking them to collect inspiration through art style appreciation, artist research, etc., and select art fields according to the theme for research, analysis and recording, and finally show the finished product through the media.
For example, research a mysterious creature from the Internet, write a mind map, and then draw the mysterious creature based on the research, using different textures, tones, and coloring.
The students' work is varied, but most of them are imaginative. I really felt how full of vitality this kind of children who are in close contact with the industry and have an early understanding of the characteristics of different occupations and the actual working conditions.
Moreover, each class requires high-intensity practice, and it usually takes half a year to make a portfolio, and at the end of the semester, students are also required to be assessed by "project-based" indicators.
(Student's Assignment Correction)
This made me more aware that every student is truly thinking about life and career.
No discipline is easy. All students who come to class need a lot of perseverance to persevere, and teachers need patience and methods.
When grading assignments, we usually don't grade them, but only write short comments that inform students of the requirements of the assignment and the success criteria.
Students can then test themselves against success criteria. The teacher will not say anything bad, avoid saying negative words, students need to taste it themselves, the main thing is an encouragement.
I am sincerely proud to look at the students' portfolios and marvel at their creativity and exquisite finished products.
At that moment, I realized that from the moment I went abroad, I had already entered a cycle of "trial and error", choosing to study in the UK, trying to link with foreigners, or doing sales, all of which consumed too much energy and time.
I also thought that if I planned in advance, maybe my life would be more stable. But I would say that "trial and error" is an integral part of our clumsy and passionate lives, which are meant to be experienced.
If you have an idea, go for it, only by experiencing earlier, understanding and discovering what you are really good at, can you find what you love, walk out of your self-confidence on the right path, and shine your own unique light.
(Welcome to "Suo Suo teaches at UK")
[Dictation: Suo Suo]
[Written by: Yiyi]
[Editor: Xiaoqi]
We can't experience different lives, but we can feel different life trajectories here, every photo here is a bit of life, every story is a real life, if you also like it, please click to follow! @真实人物采访
(*This article is based on the oral statements of the parties, and the authenticity is the responsibility of the oral narrator.) Friendly reminder from this account: Please identify the relevant risks by yourself, and do not blindly follow the trend to make impulsive decisions. ）