What type of teacher are you?

Professor Davies would miss interacting with the students of the English Department, but she won't miss the job. You were rather surprised, as you thought she was the modern-day version of Mr. Chipping. There were days when it would be a stress to read through the papers, she said. Your cheeks turned red, as you were reminded of your half-hearted effort in some papers.

You still have a year to go before you would complete your studies, but you have decided to embark on an academic career. You would classify yourself as Mr. Middle of the Road, as you haven't figured out what made you drawn to the teaching profession. For one, you would miss the university culture. In fact, you couldn't imagine yourself detached to it. You might find other interests, even better opportunities, five years from now, but you would cross it. Eventually. The other reason would be your fellow students. You would want to be forever young.

Aside from the moderate type, there were other types of teachers. You saw it, you knew how they would motivate you. And you would narrow it down to three. Here they are:

The idealist. You admired Professor Spencer, your instructor in Modern literature. He was well aware that only the true literary enthusiasts would read the works of Virginia Woolf many times. You didn't have pretension of showing interest in her works. (Your female coursemate seemed to look down on you after you told your professor and your coursemates about "Orlando". You weren't one of those students who were captivated by Tilda Swinton, who played the titular role in the celluloid version. You don't mind the reaction, as you fancy other literary genres.) He tried to make you aware of the legacy of H.G. Wells, of how his works influenced the state of affairs during his lifetime. It was pretty obvious that his writings made an impression on science fiction fans. He even argued that the themes of his novels may not be outdated as it seemed to be. He followed it up with an intriguing question. Is the United Nations still relevant nowadays? You thought it was the possible disintegration of the European Union.

The practitioner. Professor Thompson was teaching prose for the last three decades. He enjoyed it, and it showed during his lectures. And he would be glad to look through your papers and correct your mistakes. (He would do it in a constructive way.) He hasn't crossed the channel, even needed a holiday. You hope to emulate him.

The rationalist. Professor Harris talked about his holidays on a number of occasions. As a matter of fact, you enjoyed listening to it. He's your instructor in American literature, where he would back up his analysis of novels with his sightseeing and passion in urban photography. You thought about gap year.

You were certain that you would end up as one of those three in due time. For now, you couldn't think of other career options. And an academic career has more to offer.