But I Smile Anyway…

*

There was a young girl called Ritu

Who knew just what she should do

She wanted to teach

Her goal she did reach

After making a stop or two!

*

At 7, my mind was made up. I wanted to be a teacher.

What a fantastic job, surrounded by kids, and paid to be with them!

I spent all my teenage years gearing up for this career, acting as a makeshift teacher/babysitter at all the family functions, and believe me, with the size of my family, there were plenty!

I got the grades and started my degree at Kingston University. Four years of educational theory, throw in some English and Drama as my subject specialism, with a soupcon of Art, and a large portion of teaching practice, and I should have been totally prepared.

But I wasn’t.

In the third year, it hit me that, what with this new…