(1137) Teaching days

I was teaching computer systems and methods in Help Institute. While the school of computer was having a break, the secretarial head who was combative and controlling thought I was too free and spending too much time reading in the college library. She conscripted me to teach remedial English to her girls. Out of the tiny library, I checked out two English reference books. Neither of them was useful as the students' grammar was atrocious. In the end two of my colleagues from the English Department was kind to loan me their extra exercises with answers.
Of many people, none would see me as an English teacher. In the first place, I started out in a Chinese medium primary school. Secondly, at age thirteen I could not string a simple sentence in English to ask a direct question on my first day in my secondary school. Looking back, that shrewd lady did me a great favour while she was bullying me. She backed me into a corner and I had to perform the seemingly impossible.
            .....................................
Less than a year later, I resigned and applied to a Master's program. At six month pregnant, I applied for a part-time job teaching English in the Arts Faculty of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. As the original teacher went into the hospital for an emergency operation that would put her out of action for at least six weeks, I was the only candidate at one day's notice. At this point I must mention that even though I majored in Science, my small college only offered Bachelor of Arts. Looking at my B.A. Honours in my college diploma, the Chairman asked, " Where did you teach English last?" "Help." In a sense it was a truthful answer. I was accepted on a temporary basis until the end of the semester.
It was actually quite a hilarious journey. I was just one lesson ahead of my year one Arts students. Half an hour before class, Rachel or Nicole took turns to coach me for at least one month  until I could figure out how to use the Teacher's copy. There were three books, yellow , red and green. I was in my first year of marriage, as green and game as another young person. I thought, "Since my English is better than the students, with some preparation I surely could swing it." Thank goodness there were lesson plans, teaching goals, texts, questions, exercises, home work, as well as answers printed in a most easy to use manner. Thus that was the real beginning of me becoming an English teacher.