One of my fellow bloggers put up a list of all of her jobs, and challenged us to to the same. So, here is my list. She also asked which of these jobs were, to paraphrase, influential. I whipped down my list and left it for a bit. When I got back to it, I recalled several different paid positions that I had simply forgotten to put in. Two of them were summer jobs in high school for the money, and could be seen as preparation for a life as a housewife, one aspect of this being chambermaid. The other one I left off is one from which I was fired, probably justifiably as I look back but painful at the time. Most of what I have been paid for otherwise has to do with words, teaching them or working with them. My love has always been visual art, an area in which I am a modestly talented amateur with enough sense to have realized this early on. With words I am pretty proficient. The theatre, costumes and puppetry have always been for fun. The secretarial stints? A fee paid to a world that has always been kind to me.
And do I talk to the checker at the grocery store? Yes, always, including thanks for not crushing the bread when appropriate.
A timeline on these lists would probably be useful, but as a stopgap, the paid list starts at age 14 and ends at age 60 or so. The volunteer list - high school to two years ago.
- Babysitter
- Library Assistant
- Kitchen help, chambermaid, server, Doon School of Fine Art (in exchange for lessons, board)
- Chambermaid, Bigwin Inn
- Swimming teacher, swimming team coach and lifeguard
- High School Teacher
- Essay marking for Hamilton Collegiate Institute Grade 13 English*
- Supply teacher, both panels
- Trustee, Ottawa School Board
- Personnel Officer, Ottawa Board of Education
- Maple Syrup Camp worker/ Maple Salesperson
- Assistant, Advertising Consultancy
- Secretary, Incorporated Investment Company
- Free Lance Advertising Consultant
So much for the paid employment. As a volunteer
- Makeup artist, wardrobe, theatre, high school and university
- English language coach, essay marker
- Editor, Cook Book
- Costume maker, gymnastics teams
- Secretary/treasurer for several organizations
- Puppeteer
- Kitchen staff, local hall
- Advertising member, executive, local hall
- ESL for adults teacher
*An explanation here. The Hamilton Board of Education gathered the students in the Grade 13, a university preparation year at that time, into one school in downtown Hamilton. The Head of the English Department there was extremely busy in management as the school also attracted a large component of Hong Kong students with a huge range of ability in the language. He wanted to teach but knew he would not be able to keep up with the essay stipulation in the syllabus. I was at home with first one and then a second newborn. We discussed and he hired me to mark the essays for his students and to flag any problems I saw as I read them. He had four classes, 100 students approx. And so, I marked. With comments. And added a comment sheet for his information as needed. We found and supported one suicidal girl this way; I have always been pleased about that.
It’s like that for some people. Our neighbour has had more jobs in the few years that we have been neighbours than I have had in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteLong lifetime, long list, I guess, in some cases anyway. My grandfather only ever did one thing - he farmed. Using a multitude of skills. Your job was like that - a skill list to fill the whole page.
DeleteWell done. You have been most productive!
ReplyDeleteUm, maybe. I enjoyed most of it, anyway.
DeleteI want to know more about your time as a Puppeteer. Did you make your own puppets? Write your own show? Hire out to kid's parties? It's all very delightful to imagine.
ReplyDeleteYour accompanying photo is wonderful. That's from your maple syrup days, right?
If only I had the cash to hire someone like you back then to mark some of my 125 essays! What heaven that would have been. I used to take a day off sometimes just to grade when I got backlogged. Miserable.
And yes, I do remember how some students would bare their souls in their writing. Sigh. I was grateful, but often it made me feel overwhelmed. Thankfully, our school had terrific resources available to help. I'm glad you were able to as well.
He had the cash because he was department head, right? I recall one horrible Christmas when I had a heavy set of exams to get through and some idiot in a corner store said it must be nice to be a teacher and have all that time off.
DeleteI liked doing essays - did it in uni as well, even for almost no pay. I am glad your school had resources. My first school had a school nurse and me - my class was called, wait for it, Nine Terminal. And most of them, waiting for their 15th birthday to release them, read at a low grade school level, if at all.
I will do a post on the puppets.
Quite the list! Your experience and skill set is quite impressive. We don’t often think of our lives that way. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't ever really put this together until Nance did and challenged us to do the same. Mind you, I am very old, so it should be a long list.
DeleteWhat a varied list!
ReplyDeleteThere's an expression for that - Joat = Jack of All Trades.
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