The End of an Era

April 2, 2006 - All good things must come to an end, especially when that ending has been long overdue. This weekend marks the last time that I will be stepping into the tutoring centre as an employee. After 7.5 years of tutoring math (and at one point science and social studies as well) part time at the tutorial school, I have finally decided to call it quits!

Looking back, the job hasn't always been bad. Granted it was my first "real" job and I still remember when I started, I was only 18 years old, still in high school, and was the youngest staff member there. Today, not only am I one of the oldest, I'm also the one who have been teaching there for the longest.

There were good and bad times of course. Aside from having met a lot of cool people (and some really annoying pathetic ones), the job was at one time, quite satisfying. I have to admit, seeing those kids finally "getting" it, or having them tell me that they are actually improving in their school work, is a great feeling. Sure, I might be just their tutor, but at the same time, you do build a relationship with them - and you in a way, do play a role in their lives. Particularly with some of my earlier students, I was able to become their friend. It's kinda hard to believe that some of these kids are already in their third or fourth year of university (and I still bump into them all the time on the subway and on the bus!).

But I guess the past couple of years, with grad school and now with a full time job, the tutoring job has become more of a chore. Sure, I could use the extra money, but I would rather have my weekends off. The teachers that I started working with have all pretty much left and the new teachers are so young that it's actually hard to relate to them. The students have changed as well - the majority of the kids today are spoiled, arrogant and quite frankly just don't give a damn. Maybe it's because of the increasing age gap between us. The job is no longer satisfying and to be quite honest, has gotten boring. The interest is gone and it's definitely reflected by how much effort I put into my teaching...

So finally, I have decided it's time to go. I have worn out my welcome a long time ago. Will I miss the place? Well, I think a part of me will, but at the same time, I'm also glad that I'm finally done with it. The job has played an important role in my life - without it, I don't think I could have paid my tuition, or accumulated enough money to put down a down-payment (that's for another blog), or paid off my student loans less than 3 months after graduation. So in a way, I'll always be thankful for it - but I also think I have paid my dues.

Well now I can look forward to my weekends even more, but really it's the end of an era. Now what I am going to do with my Saturdays?