There are good years in teaching, just as there are in wine-making.
Some years produce a full-bodied vintage of budding physicists, doctors and computer scientists; others satisfy the less discerning palate with a bland array of glib-tongued sales executives, politicians and media moguls.
Every graduation day, we teachers bid farewell to the procession of high achievers, slow-burners and the inevitable crop of ‘can’t be arsed, just point me towards the Benefits Office’.
You did your best. For some that wasn’t enough.
So you just have to hope. Give it more time. Every now and then, there’s a secondary fermentation.
Life is slowly moving from 1st gear to 2nd and the calendar is rapidly filling up with long overdue visits to dentists, opticians, hairdressers and social activities. Pleased to have found a few minutes to rejoin Friday Fictioneers – I’ve been MIA on several occasions just recently. Thanks to Rochelle for her dedication to our international group of writers.
castelsarrasin 
Ah yes, the secondary fermenters…..
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🙂 Indeed. Thanks for reading, Sue.
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What a lovely elegant metaphor, Sandra
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Thanks for reading Neil.
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What a lovely description of a good teacher’s approach to her work. Secondary fermentation is a great metaphor, with its promise of champagne!
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Thanks Penny, glad you liked it.
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What a beautiful image, Sandra. I suspect there are a few who seem good early, but go sour or get corked along the way too.
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Feeling a bit corked right now, Jen. 🙂 Thanks for commenting.
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Dear Sandra,
Oh you social gadabout. 😉 I’m happy to see you back on the squares in any event. You’ve captured the heart and mind of a teacher. A person can only do so much and hope for the best outcome. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for reading Rochelle, glad I could put in an appearance this week. The muse is fleeting these days.
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Great thoughts for teachers. Here’s the thing though. I was an overachiever at school I ended up in the dole office more than working. These days getting good grades really means nothing.
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I think that history is littered with secondary burners, many of whom built empires on those who came before them, ie The wants development of Chinese gun power !
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Thanks for commenting Michael. 🙂
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Sorry word press substituted want for ‘ West’
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So you just have to hope. Give it more time. Every now and then, there’s a secondary fermentation..these lines summed it up. .
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Thanks for reading Neil. Hoping everything is improving there.
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I could, with a fair amount of accuracy, tell you were the ones who found the benefits office before they did anything at all. They were the once who flunked tests and didn’t care.
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Yes. What a safety net that system has turned out to be. 😦
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Yes, and I’m thankful it’s there for those who truly need it. Families don’t seem to take care of each other they way they did years ago, and sometimes the need is legitimate and urgent. Just way too many who abuse it.
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Teachers have to encounter a wide variety of soon-to-be people. One can only hope the successes and failures even out. I’m sure those “secondary fermentations” help even things out.
“Can’t be arsed” is my new favorite phrase.
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Glad to be of service! 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Your story made me smile, Sandra. I moved into working with those in ‘secondary fermentation’ and a sheer joy it was. You really capture the experience of the teacher in your story. The comparison of teaching and wine is so good. (It may explain why teachers are so fond of wine!)
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🙂 I do a lot of work with the U3A (University of the Third Age). Learning never stops, it can just be really late starting.
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Ah, indeed. Some are late bloomers. Some are wine-in-process. Some are vinegar … 😉 Some just aren’t meant to make anything you drink but contribute a lot of flavor to life … 😉
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Thanks for reading, and for your insightful comment.
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🙂 My pleasure! It was fun! 🙂
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That’s a great metaphor, Sandra. There’s almost always a chance for a secondary fermentation. And sometimes the good young wine doesn’t age well. 🙂
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So true. Thanks for reading!
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If my teachers had really cared about those of us that didn’t reach their lofty aims and expectations, I might be in a very different place now!
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Well mine didn’t after I started acting up in my last 18 months. I often wonder what they would say if they knew what became of me. Or even if they would care.
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Such is life 🙂 I fermented early, then went a bit flat and fermented again later on.
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Yes, I was a high-flyer at junior school, a low flyer at grammar school, and ended up somewhere in between.
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I expect as a teacher you have to feel proud of those who try and have done well, also feel a little saddened that some others fail in motivation.
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It must be difficult, balancing your self esteem as a teacher. Or maybe not. 🙂
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What a totally true story this week, Sandra. Have to say that this reopening of life is a bit “weird” feeling, for sure. Not so sure I’m ready for it. I was rather beginning to enjoy the quiet, simple lifestyle. Shalom, Bear
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Yes, it takes some getting used to, doesn’t it? Interactive skills quickly diminish I think.
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I remember that 10 yrs ago, I was writing code and programming… now, half the time I can’t remember how to get into my email…. LOL!
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I think, as with most endeavors, you do your best and leave the rest to God. I do think that seeds planted may take years to germinate once the ground is fertile for it. Glad to see you back with FF, Sandra.
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Many thanks for reading.
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You’re welcome, Sandra.
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The downside of teaching. Giving everything and knowing with some it’s not enough. Life’s about the long haul though. I’m so glad for that. Well written as always, Sandra.
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Yes, something of a balancing act I think, teaching. Thanks for reading.
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That’s a lovely story. I just realised that I am in the “secondary fermentation” category.
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Congratulations! I sense champagne in the making.
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