His Whole Life for the Family
201301957 EIT Jiyeon Yang
My father wake up every day at 5:30 a.m. to go to his work. He was a teacher in middle school for 20 years and he became a vice president last year. However, I remembered that when I was young, he said that he did not want to be a teacher and his real dream was to be a doctor. At that time, I did not ask the reason why he had to be a teacher because I was so young to understand him. Then one day, I suddenly wondered the reason why he became a teacher.
I wake up two times a week at 5:30 a.m. to go to take a 9a.m. class. My father drove me to the subway station. As a usual day, we left home at the crack of dawn. The early morning street was silent and lonesome and the cold air in the car made me shiver.
"Aren't you tired of leaving home at dawn, dad?" I began to talk in a half-annoyed and half-whining voice.
"Of course, I am tired. But as you know, I have to go to work to earn money." He answered in a calm voice. When I heard those words, I thought that he had regrets about working as a teacher, not doctor. Because he answered that he goes to school every day to earn money rather than meeting lovely students. So I wanted to ask about that in detail.
"But you are not satisfied with your job, right? I remember that you wanted to be a doctor. Then why did you become a teacher? I think it is really hard to work you don't like." I fired questions at him in a high pitched voice.
"Um, it's a long story. In short, your grandfather passed away when I was seven. So I grew up very poor. I really wanted to go to medical school However, my little brother also wanted to go to medical school and he was much smarter than me. And my mother could not afford two son's medical school tuition. So I conceded the opportunity to go to medical school to my little brother and I went to national university. After that, I decided to be a teacher and earn money as soon as possible." While he was talking, the rims of his eyes were little red and his voice trembled a bit, which was clear that he was reminding his hardscrabble childhood.
According to him, His mother could not afford the basics like electricity as well as tuition. So he had to study at night underneath the streetlamp. As he said, although his real dream was to be a doctor, he had a family to support because he was the first-born of three sons. So, instead, he decided to become a teacher for its more reliable income. He studied so hard and he did really well on KSAT and he entered a prominent national university. After he graduated, he became a teacher.
"Then, do you think of your job just as a means of earning?" I asked carefully.
"Of course not. As you said, how can I work if I think of my job just as means of earning? I found my value in a teaching job. Actually, for me, teaching is a very rewarding job. First, I loved learning. Becoming a teacher has given me the opportunity to engage in my own love of learning. As a teacher, I am always learning something new either about teaching or about the content." He looked very excited. He said so with his eyes twinkling with amusement. I was little surprised because I have never thought that he loved learning.
"However, the best part of teaching is always, without question, the students. I think teacher is a lighthouse to keep my students sailing in the right direction. Whenever they are in trouble, they talk to me. Then I really try to be a big help for them. Also, as you know, I teach math. Math teaching is rewarding when I can get students to overcome their fear of math. Many students walk into my classroom saying that math is hard or they are not good in math. I feel the greatest reward when the students get the math concept and a conceptual understanding of the formula or mathematic vocabularies." He answered constantly with a clear proudness in his voice. I always thought that he regarded his job just as a means of earning. However, surprisingly, He found value in a teaching job and was proud of his job.
Although he loved his job, I could not understand why he tried to be a vice president. Because I thought that the advantage of teacher is that job period is guaranteed until sixty three. So he did not have to promote. Also, there are only few vacancies while teachers should spend at least 3 years to prepare for this competition. So, most of teachers do not try to promote. However, my father really tried hard to be a vice president and I wanted to ask about the reason why he tried so hard to be a vice president.
"Dad, what makes you try hard to be a vice president?" I asked.
"It's you and your brother." He answered immediately.
"My final goal is to be a president of the school. You and your brother will marry in future. And I really hope that you and your brother would be proud of me and my social position when you marry." He added.
I was really touched and my voice broke with emotion. As a daughter, I saw the whole process that he became a vice president. Every year, only 50 teachers in Seoul become a vice president. Actually, He failed twice at this competition. At that time, He said continuously that he could not stop himself from getting the negative thoughts like failing again and I could not understand why he tried so hard while he got stressed. I was a high school student at that time. So I did not try to understand him because I was confused enough with my own problems. However, after I heard his answer, I could understand everything. Family was the most important thing in his life. After I realized that, a lamp came into my throat.
"We are almost there. Prepare to get off." He said in his blunt way.
There was nothing unusual about his words or behaviors. However, I could feel his love. After I got off, his car disappeared into many cars on the road. His whole life was for his family. When he was young, He changed his dream for his poor family. After he married, he decided to be a vice president for his wife and children. However, He is also happy and fulfilled with his teaching job. I am really proud of him and I want to back up him as much as I love him.
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