First let me preface this with a disclaimer:
I am not really the bar hopping, trolling for girls type. I never really have been but always wind up doing such things with friends.
As many of you know, I am a middle school teacher. Let me tell you, there is nothing more unattractive than a male middle school teacher. Many of you are now thinking, "But Brandon you are an attractive interesting guy. What's not to like?" Yes. I am an attractive interesting guy but I am also a middle school teacher. Let's think about this practically...
You, an attractive female, are out at the bar with a friend. Two guys, one of them being my doppelganger, approach you and your friend and ask if you would like to dance. Slightly flattered by the offer, you and your friend say yes. There is that awkward moment where no one is sure who is going to dance with who, then finally someone makes the move and you and the other pair walk out on the dance floor and begin dancing. Now inevitably, unless you are really uninterested (you've taken one for the team...), there is a discussion that happens. Names are exchanged.
"Where are you from?"
"Austin. You?"
The discussion continues. You know small talk stuff. And it seems to be going well.
"What do you do?"
"I'm a student at UT."
"What are you studying?"
"Pre-Law. Philosophy."
"Cool."
"What do you do?"
"I'm a teacher."
"Oh cool. Where do you teach?"
"A middle school in Kyle."
Then the record scratches, the music stops and the rest of the dance is painfully silent. Now this actually happened to me. Not that I was trying to pick her up but seriously did it have to be that I was a middle school teacher? I have to assume that this was it because she was all sorts of talkative before I mentioned the word "middle." Many of you (all four of you) are saying "Brandon, seriously, maybe she just ran out of things to say." Maybe, but this is not the first time I've gotten this reaction. Now this got me thinking. Why?
It takes a special kind of person to teach. Not everyone can do it. Hell, sometimes I don't feel like I can. Every where I go, when people ask me what I do and I tell them that I teach middle school they shake my hand or pat me on the back saying things like, "You must be a saint..." or "I could never teach, I'm so glad you can..." or my personal favorite, "God bless you!" I hear the platitudes of the profession all of the time. I agree. Teachers are extremely important. Education is extremely important. But dammit it is horrible to be a single male teacher.
-I will have to work for 20+ years to make more than $50,000
-On any given day I could be at school from 7:30AM to 7:30PM
-Everyone has their preconceived notions about what a teacher is supposed to be so after the girl hears "teacher" she's got you pegged and there is nothing more to talk about.
-All teachers everywhere are settled down (Married). At least it sometimes feels that way. All of the male teachers are anyway.
-Really, though, do teachers want to date teachers... There's no time!
-Teaching is a female dominated profession. I'm supposed to do things like business, NASCAR racing, or contracting.
I occasionally get bonus points in the above discussion because I teach theater but those bonus points usually don't even bring me up to passing (see I even use teacher metaphors).
From here on out when people ask me what I do, I am going to say "Teaching Artist." Maybe that will make me interesting enough to dance with twice. Maybe.
2 comments:
Ew to Nascar, business, etc. I'm glad you're doing what you're doing.
That girl is lame. I'm actually pretty surprised - Do girls really have an issue with dating a teacher? Weird...
I disagree that teaching is a female dominated profession. Maybe the "younger" grade levels, however it seems to tip in the males favor as you progress up the grade level. Most university professors are assumed to be male and it seems for a female to make it that far she either has to be unmarried or divorsed.
However, consider it from our point of view. To be an unmarried female teacher, and find a man that doesn't want to be coddled, have a mother complex or is untimidated because you are intelligent, independent, and self-sufficient is also difficult to find. Even if you get the initial interest, someone who understands that what you do is a passion and won't expect you to abandon it if his career or life expectations demands it, because after all... you're only a teacher...you can do that anywhere...
Or that your job is not the standard 9-5 and you may have to slack facetime for a week or two because it's the busy season, even though you've been patient with them when the situation's reversed.
There are two sides to that coin and you're friend Rose seems correct, that girl is lame. Maybe you're wookin' pu' luv in all the wrong places?
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