Why I Became a Teacher: to Pass on My Love ofLiterature
A) Like lots of people, I never thought I'd be ateacher when I was at school. To be honest l only didmy training because my husband was on a four-yearcourse and 1was on a three-year course at Cardiff University so I wanted to do something forone year. I thought doing a teaching qualification would be interesting and might be quite usefull I'm convinced that nothing else I might have done would have given me so much pleasureand satisfaction, or fitted in so well with family life.
B) When I retire, in just a few years time, I can look back on a career which made a positivedifference to the lives of thousands of children. Few other career choices can be so rewarding, so if you have a love of your subject and want the opportunity to pass that on then teachingcan be a great career.
C) Anyone going into teaching now will be used to teaching to formal work schemes andobservation. I think it has raised standards in the profession but personally I feel the loss inthe classroom. I've got the confidence of 30 years experience. I've seen new approaches comeand go (and sometime even identical "new ideas" come and go more than once).
D) For me, it's the passion for your subject and interest in the success of your studentsthat matters more than how all the acronyms (首字母缩略词) add up. This is what will make you agood teacher. There's still room for individuals but you have to have the confidence andpassion for your subject to make it work.
E) The major challenge in teaching is time. There's not enough of it. It's hard if you'reworking full time to cope with the marking and feel Eke you have enough time to do your jobproperly. I've worked part time ever since I had children. I officially work three days a week--troton my two days off I always work, it probably all adds up to what counts as a full week's workin most other jobs but the pay isn't bad so you can work part time and then the job really doesfit in with family life. There are shortcuts to save time, and if had to work part time I'd have touse. them. But working part time gives me the luxury, to be a critical marker. It can take twohours to mark a 3,000 word A level essay, so if you have 16 pupils that's 32 hours of markingin one week for just one class.
F) One of the benefits of being a part-time teacher is that I do have time to mark properly. Sometimes my feedback is almost as long as their essay but 1 really want the kids to do well. One of the best things about teaching is you get to raise children's aspirations, and to make adifference in their lives. You get visits and emails from your old students to prove it! It's greatto make the difference, and, as they say, it does make it all worthwhile.
G ) The core of teaching is the subject and the pupils. We have a lot of NQTs and PGCEstudents coming to our school and sometimes I must admit to being disappointed whenstudents don't know their subjects that well. I had an NQT who was teaching Animal Farm andasked me "What's Marxism?" --and she'd got a first in her degree so it just goes to show thatgovernment initiatives to try and attract those with firsts aren't necessarily going work.
H) However. lots of people drop out of teaching after a couple of years, it is an exhaustingjob. So my advice to those just starling out is:
I) Don't lose your sense of proportion over things that happen in the classroom or in anobservation that doesn't go well. As long as in the higger picture of things you are connectingwith kids and the subject--then don't get frustrated. Even after 30 years of teaching everyonehas fearful days in teaching, he you think: "Can I really do this?"You've got In keep positive; it's only a problem if you gel mute bad days than good days.
J)Make sure leaching doesn't overwhelm you. You have Io develop strategies especially ifyou are teaching a subject which requires a lot of marking. So plan things well. Get your pupilsto do peer marking, which really can work. If you know you just can't handle any moremarking in a particular week, get pupi!s to write a speech and then perform it in the nextclass. You've got to think ahead about times of maximum workload and plan accordingly--askyour more experienced colleagues for advice
K)You've got to keep your sense of burnout, which is a great v, ay of relieving a,situation. Iknow I became a better teacher when I became a parent. I realised that kids can be sounpleasant sometimes, even your own kids. They don't mean it; they're just being kids. Itdoesn't mean they bate you or hate your lessons, When you're a new teacher coming intoteaching, especially if you are young, you think of the students as almost your adversaries (对手), anti you've got-to defeat them. But you've got to be, careful what you say. You can'tbelittle them too much or you can really harm them.
L) Love your subject. If you are going to succeed in secondary school leaching you mustlove your subject. The kids really know if you do or don't.
M) You have to know your students are individuals, they learn in different ways. You haveto be sensitlive to that.
N ) You can't just teach to a formula. 1 do worry about the diffcuence between lip serviceto what the government say it's supposed to be like and what it's really like. I do hate theuntrnthfulness of that and the gulf seems to widen more anti more. It feels likewhat mattersmost is what's tested. The trouble is nothing that is really worthwhile canbe tested. are thelove of learning, connection with literature, having empathy ( 移情作用 )--these are the thingsthat really make a difference to someone's life but of course they can't be tested. Youngteachers have to he eareful not to get lost in fimnulas and initiatives. A more experiencedteacher will have confidence to respond to kids anti to talk about an issue that's raised inclass that's not on the plan. The children will learn so much from that but there's no box totick.
1. Keeping sense of humor rather than belittling your students can help relieve a situation.
2. Teachers should not teach to a formula because what cannot be tested may reallymatter to a student's life.
3. For the author, the main challenge in teaching is that there's no enough time.
4. For teachers faced with a lot of marking, one strategy is to get pupils involved in peermarking.
5. When dealing with things that happen in the classroom, teachers are advised to decidepriorities.
6. Working part time enables the author to mark students' assignments properly.
7. The author believes she has received most satisfaction from teaching as a career.8. Students can tell whether a teacher loves his subject or not.
9. The author thinks that teaching to formal work schemes and observation can make aloss in the classroom.
10. According to the author, passion for a subject and interest in students' success willmake a good teacher.
参考答案：
1.K) 【题干译文】保持幽默感比贬低学生更能缓解课堂上的突发状况
【定位】由题干中的sense ol humor，belittling you students和relieve a situation定位到原文K)段第一句：You've got to keep your sense of humour.which is a great way of relieving a situation.和最后一句：You can’t belittle them too much 01"vou Carl really harm them.
【精解】K)段第一句提到，幽默感是缓解突发状况的妙方。最后一句提到，不能太小看学生，否则会伤害到他们。题干是对这两句的整合.故答案为K)。
2.N)。【题干译文】教师不应该程式化教学，因为有些不能被测试的东西可能对学生至关重要。
【定位】由题干中的teach to a formula和matter to a student’s life定位到原文N)段第一句：You can't just teach to a formula.和第四句：The trouble is nothing that is really worthwhile Call be tested.So the love of learning，connection with literature，having empathy(移情作用)一出ese are the things that really make a difference to someone’s life but of course they can’t be tested.
【精解】第一句先明确指出教师不应程式化教学。后面解释原因，其中该段第四句提到，有些东西，比如对学习的热爱、与文学的关系、是否有同情心等是测试不出来的。题干是对这两句的整合，故答案为N)。
3.E)。【题干译文】对作者而言，教学过程中的最大挑战就是时间不够用。
【定位】由题干中的main challenge in teachin9定位到原文E)段前两句：.The major challenge in teaching is time.There’s not enough of it.
【精解】由定位句可知，教学过程中的主要挑战就是时间不够，题干是对这两句的整合，故答案为E)。
4.J)。【题干译文】对于作业批改量很大的老师来说，方法之一就是让学生们互相批改作业。
【定位】由题干中的strategy和peermarkin9定位到原文J)段第二句：You have to develop strategies especially if you are teaching a subject which requires a lot ofmarkin9.和第四句：Get your pupils tO do peer markin9.which really can work.
【精解】由定位句可知，老师在应对需要大量批改作业的课程时，需要好好计划，同时作者建议让学生互相批改作业。题干是对这两句的整合，故答案为J)。
5.I)。【题千译文】当处理课堂上的状况时，老师们应判断事情的轻重缓急。
【定位】由题干中的things that happen in the classroom定位到原文I)段第一句：Don’t lose your sense of proportion over things that happen in the classroom or in an observation that doesn’t go well.
【精解】由定位句可知，作者建议老师在处理课堂上发生的事情时，不能丧失判断轻重缓急的能力。原文中的sense of proportion意为“判断轻重缓急的能力”，与题干中的decide priorities对应，故答案为I)。
6.F)。【题干译文】做兼职老师使得作者可以合理地批改学生作业。
【定位】由题干中的working part time和mark students’ assignments properly定位到原文F)段第一句：One of the benefits of being a part.time teacher is that I do have time to mark properly.
【精解】由定位句可知，作者认为兼职教学最大的好处就是可以有时间来好好批改作业。题干中的enables…t0…是对原文中0ne of the benefits的同义转述，故答案为F)。
7.A)。【题干译文】作者相信她从教书中获得了最大的满足感。
【定位】由题干中的most satisfaction from teachin9定位到原文A)段最后一句：I’m convinced that nothing else I might have done would have given me so much pleasure and satisfaction，or fitted in SO well with family life.
【精解】由定位句可知，作者认为如果当初她选择了其他职业，未必会给她这么多的欢乐和满足感，即作者从教师这一职业中获得了最大的满足感。题干中的believes对应原文中的I'm convinced，故答案为A)。
8.L)。【题干译文】学生可以判断出一个老师是否热爱他所教授的科目。
【定位】由题干中的students，a teacher和loves his subject定位到原文L)段最后一句：The kids really know if you do or don't
【精解】在L)段中，作者建议老师们要热爱自己所教授的科目，学生们可以看得出来你是否喜欢。题干中的can tell对应原文巾的really know，故答案为L)。
9.C)。【题千译文】作者认为按照教案和评论授课会造成一定的课堂损失。
【定位】由题干中的formal work schemes and observation定位到原文C)段前两句：Anyone going into teaching now will be used to teaching to formal work scheme sand observation.I think it has raised standards in the profession but personally I feel the loss in the classroom.
【精解】定位句提到，教师现在都要按照教案和教案评论上课，作者认为，这虽然提高了教师的专业水平，但也造成了课堂上的损失。题干中的make a loss对应原文中的feel the loss，故答案为C)。
10.D)。【题干译文】对作者而言，对所授科目的热爱以及对学生所取得成功的关注会造就一名优秀的教师。
【定位】由题干中的passion for a subject and interest in students’ Success定位到原文D)段前两句：For me.it’s the passion for your subject and interest in the success of your students that matters more than how all the acronyms(首字母缩写词)add up.This is what will make you a good teacher.
【精解】定位句第二句中的This指代的是前一句话，即成为一名优秀老师的标准就是对于所教课程的热情以及关注学生所取得的成功，这比讲授什么内容更加重要。题干是对这两句话的整合。故答案为D)。
