Last summer, after I got qualified to college, I decided to get my very first job in life. Therefore, I applied for Hansome Institute, the so-called “cram school,” as a teaching assistant. Luckily, I was hired. At first, I considered this job to be my cash cow, but it turned out to be more than that. Being a teaching assistant at such a well-known institute really changed me a lot. This job originally meant “income” to me. Thus, since I got recruited, I had never asked for any penny from my parents. I told myself that I had to take full responsibility for my expenditure; that is, I spent what I earned.
During that period of time, in order to make ends meet, I had to work hard and, meanwhile, keep an eye on my expense. In addition, having this job somehow allowed me to ease my parents’ financial burden. It made me feel as if I were mature enough to handle my own life, and that’s delightful to me. Aside from making money, which was the material influence, I started to grasp the spiritual meaning of this job. After I devoted myself to this job, I gradually came to realize the saying, “Teaching benefits teacher and student alike. ” It’s obvious that the essence of this job, being a teaching assistant, was to solve students’ problems.
Students came to me after classes and buried me with numerous confusing questions, ranging from grammatical mistakes to structure defects of English composition. It helped me review what I’d learned from high school. However, there is something really challenging to overcome. Even though I knew how to correct students’ mistakes, I still had to try to explain the revision to them, which was the most difficult part. Sometimes, I explained the concept of one question for students in one way; yet, if they still can’t figure it out, I had to try other ways of explanation until they got the point.
Therefore, my English ability enhanced undoubtedly, since I had to work out several kinds of explanation of one simple question. Aside from what I’ve mentioned above, experience was the most precious thing I gained from being a teaching assistant. First of all, it was the first time I ever had a boss, and following his instructions was my fundamental duty. For example, I once finished correcting 140 copies of English essays in a week simply because he wanted me to do so. I had to meet every deadline he gave me. That was truly a unique training to me.
As for the most unforgettable part, I experienced giving a lecture in the presence of 250 high school students. Being a teaching assistant, I had to explain the pop quizzes’ questions thoroughly onstage after they finished their daily quizzes. I scarcely had this kind of opportunity to stand in front of so many students as a lecturer. It was truly memorable. Originally, I thought getting a job was just about earning money, but I was wrong. My job was more than that. I learned a lot and experienced a lot from it. This job, without a doubt, affected me from the inside, out.
