Everyone thinks a brave woman who says : I have passion for teaching. I am quiting my well-paid job to be trained as a teacher.
Siaopo's not brave, and she's sure that she is not the first woman to feel so.
From the start, when she made snap decision to quit her Project Management job, she knew she could make a difference in her life as well as young people as a dedicated educationist.
So she decided to apply to the teaching council. She successfully receive a bursary for the training after a 2 years of preparation of collecting profiles in teaching and going through interviews and examinations. At that moment, she was so proud that she was amongst the 22 people who successfully receive the bursary for the subject course in Durham University.
So, she continues pursuing her dream with passion.
She's proud of never having to take a single cent from hubby. Bursary from the government is more than enough. She doesn't need to give up her financially independence.
But, life has been stressful throughout.
Teaching degree in United Kingdom is notoriously difficult.
For the past years, everytime she mentioned that, friends will tell her " NOOO, do not do it. Is very difficult". She ignored all the advices. Silly her.
Now, having gone through the course,indeed she has made her own life so difficult.
Is Durham University the reason to her suffering ? Because it is the third best university after Oxford and Cambridge? Siaopo has no clue at all.
Always known as leading university alternatives to Oxford and Cambridge, Siaopo's attending this postgraduate course with a bunch of genius, middle-class, porsh accent southerner people who majority went to British Independent Schools, and ex-Oxbridge ( oxford and Cambridge ) and Durham Universities graduates .
Siaopo just feel stupid and rubbish among them. ( Siaopo is rubbish in knowledge wise, profiency in English language, common sense and etc ). Don't get her wrong. All the coursemates are helpful, lovely and down to earth. Siaopo knows well that she shouldn't feel that way.
Being the only etnic-minority in the class, and the only person who was brought up abroad and went to a non-British schools, just made her feel very low in self-confidence and esteem.
Struggling between university assignments, lesson planning and teaching at school had taken a toll on her.
She's done Engineering, IT, Project Management qualifications in the past and nothing beats this postgraduate teaching degree ! Horrendous, tough, madness....
Coffee, Red Bull, Pharmaton, Berroca - you name it, she has it !
She just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Should or shouldn't she give up ?
Teaching definitely bites her ! Ouch.......
