Before I write this out, I want to thank everyone for your kind wishes and support. This is a rant about the frustration that I’ve been feeling lately but is not at all directed at anyone.
It has been almost a week since the BCSE results came out. I was genuinely shocked and over the moon when I found out that I topped the general category. Supposedly, it is the first time that someone from PGDE has topped. For those of you that don’t know, the general category has three subdivisions: PGDPA (Post Graduate Diploma in Public Administration), PGDFM (Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Management), and PGDE (Post Graduate Diploma in Education). Most people do not know or seem to forget that PGDE is also part of the general category since there are separate B.Ed exams. Therefore, most people naturally assumed that I was sitting for PGDPA. I wanted to correct their misunderstanding and also wanted to represent the teaching profession so I had sent a message to a media outlet. However, they did not publish my message and also failed to mention that I was to become a teacher.
That evening, I saw that a popular Bhutanese Facebook page had shared the link to the BCSE results with the title “Mathematician turned public administrator?!”As I read the comments, I became more offended: “Otherwise she would have to become a teacher” or “This is why Bhutan does not have any scientists”. There were some people who did know that I took the PGDE exam and supported me. I did clear up the misunderstanding and I appreciate the page for changing the post after they found out. However, I do wish that they had done some research before sharing it. I do have to say that I was offended to see those negative comments after having worked so hard and achieving something that I thought I never would. I guess that I could have expected these sorts of comments from people who thought that I turned my back on mathematics. However, what people told me when they found out that I was taking up teaching was completely uncalled for.
“Did you not have any other choice?” or “You should have taken up public administration instead!” as they looked at me with sympathetic eyes. There is never a “Wow, teaching is awesome!” but instead a hesitant “tubey tey”, while I could tell that on the inside, they were just thinking what use is it if she topped if she’s just going to be a schoolteacher? To all of you thinking the same right now, I would like to reemphasize that for me, becoming a teacher was a choice. I had a lot of choices after high school and I chose this path because I love maths and I love teaching. I never really knew how much this profession was looked down upon until I decided to take it up.
Teachers are overworked and probably not paid enough. This is a global problem but even more so in Bhutan. In my four years in the United States, I’ve always been appreciated for this choice whereas people in Bhutan give me tips on how to get out of it. One of my friends told me, “You deserve more than being a teacher.” Um, hello? I get the chance to inspire and to change lives. I could possibly play a part in grooming the leaders of tomorrow. I don’t think that it gets any better than that.
“Why did you choose teaching over good jobs?” This is a question asked to me at an interview. I’m sure the interviewer did not mean to offend me but I snapped. Why isn’t teaching considered a good job? Isn’t the reason all of us are here today have to do a little with the teachers that have given us so much? In Buddhism, in our media, our entertainment, we seem to have so much respect for our teachers. Hardly any of that exists in real life. Many do not opt for teaching, those who do only as a last resort.
When I saw my results, I thought that the next few days would be filled with calls and wishes of congratulations and thank yous from my side. Of course, that did happen too but little did I know that I would have to spend half my time defending my choice of profession. There were negative comments when people thought I was not becoming a teacher but there was even more negativity when they found out that I am to be one.
Of course, whether people debate over my sincerity or look at me sympathetically, I’m going to stick by my choice and try to do my best at it. I’ve always said that it does not matter what you do as long as you’re the best at it. I honestly do not know if teaching is what I was born to be or if I’ll really enjoy it. But for now, I’m confident that I wouldn’t want to be anything else and that I’m glad I made this choice. I want more people to take up teaching and not just as a last resort. Even more than that, I want us as a community to genuinely respect the teaching profession. We’ve got a long way to go and until then, I’ll keep defending my choice with a “No thank you, next.”