One of the greatest comebacks in boxing but sadly, as with the Eubank Watson fight, it results in the destruction of a man. Still, as a metaphor for my current position it trumps any Tubthumping. Only Ali in the Jungle trumps resolve of this nature. Pulling my business round, defeating my own demons will take courage and belief like this. I have been knocked down before. At age 32 I found myself, having graduated with first class honours and more commendations than anyone in nine years, colleges assumed I could teach without training. I applied from an advert in The Guardian education supplement for a teaching post, 2.5 days a week at UCE Birmingham, Sean Feeny was one of the other interviewees. Shortly after, Hugh Scriven asked me to do a day a week at Shrewsbury. A few days later Wolverhampton asked if I could do 2 days a week. Suddenly I was a full time lecturer on 3 courses and one day involved an evening session. I wasn't up to it. I didn't know how to gather a group together. The pressure was too much and I ran away to work for Fred Baier for a while. Why they employ untrained and inexperienced teachers baffles me. With hindsight, I should have taken on less but I suppose I was flattered by getting a good college through no foot in the door and two other requests.
Teaching is hard. I would start the day confused, on strange ground, peak around 11am, plateaux till 3 then any question a student asked, often a problem they had been mulling over for a week I was expected to grasp and resolve. I couldn't do it. Girls in tears would confide in me on their love lives, others shy away as if I had come to interfere with their babies. These students, much as I respected them all were too much for me at that age. Now I think lecturers should be older; the idea of the young, up to date flash harry is bollocks. It takes fortune of birth to be a good designer or maker but years of experience to understand the requirements of those whose ideas stretch beyond ones own.
I could do it now, but then, I was just a boy, giving it alaway.
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