Alyssa’s Interview: ‘I Sweated So Much That I Was Told I Made The Students ‘Uncomfortable’’

aidan

This month, we’re giving away an amazing night for two in the Merrion Hotel, along with dinner and a specially chosen bottle of wine in The Cellar Bar. To find out more, and to vote for this story to win, see below!

Alyssa’s story

I was going for a summer position as a classroom assistant, and had made it to the final round – a working interview, in which I’d be visiting an actual class and conducting a short lesson for the students.

I was to use the overhead projector and complete the transparency worksheet provided, explaining my steps as I went.

Like anyone teaching a group of people for the first time, I was nervous…

And when I get nervous, I sweat.

Profusely.

In this case, though, I had the heat of the projector to make things even worse. My hands were going back and forth between writing on the transparent sheet and wiping the sweat off my face. Sweat dripped onto the sheet a few times and was immediately projected onto the wall, magnifying my shame by 1,000 percent.

Anyhow, after 10 or 15 agonising minutes, the worksheet was completed. I looked up to ask if there were any questions, but the students were all staring at me in horror.

Nobody raised their hand; no one made a sound.

The teacher of the class quickly thanked me, then quietly suggested I go to the bathroom to “cool down”.

When I saw myself in the mirror, I died inside.

I had smeared the blue marker ALL over my sweaty face as I’d talked, and by the end of the lesson I looked like Jim Carrey in that scene from Liar Liar.I didn’t get the job, as I’d apparently made the students (and the teacher) “uncomfortable.”

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