Giving up face-to-face teaching, by Elizabeth Kay
I’ve been an adult education tutor for forty-five years, for both art and creative writing. It’s not the teaching that’s led to this decision, as I enjoy it, but the journey. It’s 17 minutes by car in the evening, when there’s no traffic, but it can be two hours in the morning, and also in the afternoon, due to school runs. And the later I am, the less chance there is of finding a parking space. There’s no direct route by public transport, either, and I have to carry a lot of equipment. So for a class that starts at 9.45 I leave at 8am to be sure of getting there on time. I live close to the M25, and all it takes is a hold-up there for the knock-on effect to mean gridlock in every direction. I’ve put off retiring because I’ve been begged to stay, but I’ve simply had enough. The trapeziectomy on my wrist in December meant that I couldn’t drive, so kind students picked me up and dropped me off. And now that I’ve fractured a rib I’m in the same position once again. So. Enough is enough. ...