Let’s talk about Rudy, he was a young man with big dreams. He may have been small in stature, but that didn’t deter him from playing college football. He spent years toiling, working harder than most to be a bench warmer on the team. Only in the last game of his college career did he get a chance to play after his teammates begged the coach. He tackled the opposing quarterback in his few minutes of play and became a school here. He wanted to play football, but how many years did he have to work for a few minutes of game time.

Question then becomes this: what could he have been exceptional in if he put that uncommon energy words a natural talent rather then compensating for a deficiency. In other words, what was the opportunity cost? No doubt Rudy had relentless drive, I do too in a more limited extent. But its important to take that energy and work hard, in a thoughtful place. For my own case, working with irrational kids is something I’m deficient at. So the toil of trying to control a room of screaming 12 year olds is questionable.

Would some of that time have been better spent with youths I could reason with? Especially when you are young, there is a period of exploration, but once you’ve finished exploring a field and you’ve found out if you have a natural talent, its wise to reevaluate if its worth continuing.

FOr me, I’ve evaluated I can be an English Teacher for older teens and above, But I have a natural talent to guide youths towards a better direction. I think I got through to some of my teenage students in a way previous teachers couldn’t.

Ultimately I won’t be an English Teacher again outside of pure desperation. To a small degree I would be “Rudy” the English Teacher. The reason being, as I’ve matured this year, I’ve found I have more to offer the world then just my native tongue.

Life Update: I will miss saying “pom ben kru pa sai engrik (I’m an English Teacher)” to Thais though, there faces light up when I do, partly because it shows I respect their culture and partly because of a respect for teachers not seen in the states (outside the classroom anyways) I’ll find respect in other ways moving forward.

Kingston S. Lim

February 17, 2020

Bangkok, Thailand