Teaching and Tutoring - Part I

The first week of February each year is always a good few days for me. Those of you who are close to me know that I teach a course twice a year in the fall and in the spring. For students enrolled in my fall lectures, this is the week the exam results are released and there are always about a half dozen or so who either call or email me to let me know they passed.

You may have known this is something I keep myself busy with, but I’ve never fully described this to any of you, nor have I told you what this really means to me.

My course is Advanced Financial Accounting which I teach it for the Certified General Accountants Assoc of Ontario (CGA). I’ve been doing this for 6 years and the upcoming spring session will be the thirteenth time I’ve done this same course. It’s held at U of T, Erindale campus, though I once also did it at Ryerson. It is what they call a “professional” level course. For most students it is one of the last courses they need for their designation - it is usually taken in the fourth or fifth year of study in the program.

The course is equivalent, but not identical to, I think probably a 4th year undergrad course in a Commerce program. But even if you had completed a university equivalent course, the association still forces you to enroll and completed this one. This may have changed in the last couple of years as I’ve encountered students who wrote a “challenge exam” instead. But no one receives full exemption as with introductory or intermediate level accounting courses.

The course consists of 10 weekly lectures, two hours each followed by a review session in the 11th week. The review session is an all day affair, typically on a Saturday morning from 9am to 4:30pm. Two lecture sessions, and 3 or 4 review sessions works out to 23-24 lectures per year for a total of approx 60-65 lecture hours. In addition, I conduct 80-100 hours of private tutoring. In total, I’ve had about 700 students so far with classes ranging from 20 to 80 students, though 40 is probably the normal class size.

I have a reputation for being one of the best lecturers in the association, and possibly the best for my particular course. This is an accurate comment. The few of you who are reading this are close to me, so there’s no point in exaggerating or showing off to you. I think you know I’m not the type to do that anyway.

I know first hand this is a view shared by students, members of the CGA office and fellow lecturers/ tutors. It is not an accident that I’m as good at this as I am – I’ve spent a lot of effort teaching myself how to do this. Teaching may look effortless, but it’s really quite difficult to do well. A couple years ago I was having trouble tutoring MK and I asked my friend Michelle HATHEAD for help in this. She offered lots of good advice which I did not use (sorry). In the past, I’ve taken a seminar, had a mentor, conversed with other lecturers, but I’ve decided that teaching well in large depends on individual style and therefore unfortunately, must be self-taught.

A close friend of mine has told me a couple of times that teaching is something she always wanted to do. But the idea of speaking in front of a group petrifies her. If you knew her, this would surprise you because she is very outgoing. I am the opposite – I am not particularly outgoing and it surprises many people that I can speak to a group as I do. If I can do it, anyone can. But it must be learned. I do not believe the ability to teach comes naturally to anyone.

Not everyone thinks I’m good – I’ve had a share of students walk out in the middle of classes. For some, teaching is their full-time livelihood, their job. But there are many people who do this for personal reasons only - for them, us, me, it can hurt when someone walks out on you. Over time, this happens less often and it bothers you less and less, and soon not at all. You learn eventually that your purpose is not to help those who leave, but those who stay.

This job has rewards that are not attainable anywhere else.

At work, people have thanked me for completing spreadsheets and adding up numbers.
In class, after class, people have thanked me for helping them believe in their ability.

They’re not the same. One’s worth more than the other.

Three and a half years ago, SH attended my class. I also tutored her and a couple of others in a small group. She wasn’t working – she was a stay-at-home mom who had a former life as an engineer, and she was taking courses because she wanted to change careers. Her lack of work experience in this area was a significant disadvantage to her as a student. I did not believe she could pass the exam.

Last year she sent an unexpected note to tell me that she was doing well with the rest of her studies and that she was very excited because she just started her first job with a public accounting firm. I thought that was nice. I’ve never made an attempt to get to know any of the teachers I’ve ever had – never mind staying in touch. A couple of months ago I saw her at the university and was lucky enough to get to speak to her for a few minutes.

Last year I tutored PM from the Barbados. He attempted this exam unsuccessfully four times back home. His employer allowed him to take a leave of absence for a few months to come to Canada to study and write the exam. A few months afterwards he sent me a nice note from the Barbados to tell me he had passed the exam on his fifth attempt. When you fail an exam four times it means you’ve been struggling with the course for 3 or four years, so when you pass, it is a very big deal.

Sometimes I look in the Members Directory and I see the names of people who attended my class on their way to completing their designation. I see that many of them now have better jobs than I do. Five years ago, I sat around after class talking to KR who found the courses a tremendous burden. It was “so hard” and she wanted to know from me if it “was all worth it” or not. Today, I see she has a better job than I do. I’ve heard people say that this is a mark of a great teacher, when students go on and eventually surpass those who helped them. Since I’m not really a career teacher, I feel this is both good and bad. Bad, because I wonder if I’ve managed my own career properly.

Last year Marija from my workplace attended one of my review sessions. She was quite surprised when she found out it was me. “Oh you’re the Slowpoke!” The following week she couldn’t stop telling everyone at work about my class. My manager wondered aloud why at work I’m not the person Marija described, vocal, enthusiastic, confident, opinionated, funny and in complete control. Marija also described to me amusing things the women in class were saying about me in the washroom during breaks. Because she knows me I wasn’t sure if she was being truthful or having fun at my expense. If I had decided to believe her, then there were 4 or 6 caddy women in the washroom who prattled away that I was really hot, who wondered whether or not I was married, and who speculated that I probably made a lot of money. (?!)

Later she qualified her comments by saying that I just fare well in comparison to other lecturers who are old and staid. . . Thanks Marija.