Some time last year, while I was talking to a good friend of mine who’s been teaching in China (the same friend with whom I attended the CELTA course), she suddenly said that she has something to tell me about the CELTA course grades and hopes that I wouldn’t get too upset about it.
For a long time, I knew she has been very chummy with one of the trainers, so I figured she heard something from him. But I couldn’t figure out what it could be that would make me upset because I don’t get upset about things easily.
She then said that she was told by Trainer J (we had 3 trainers) that after the external assessor from the University of Cambridge sat in to view our teaching and took a look at our assignments and progress, she consulted my 2nd trainer, Trainer R, if they should award me with the CELTA Pass A. Trainer R told her, no. That was why I ended up with a B.
While I was a little disappointed in missing out the Pass A and wondered why my first trainer, Trainer S wasn’t consulted (or maybe he was but not part of the story told to me), I wasn’t exactly upset about it. It was the same when my fellow trainee from Australia told me towards the end of the course, “If they don’t give you a Pass A, you should fight for it because I think you deserve it.” While I really appreciated the comment and feel really flattered, I merely smiled because I wouldn’t do anything like that. Why?
Because to me, if my trainer feels that I’m not of an A-grade calibre, fighting for it on paper wouldn’t make me one. Period.
But even when you didn’t get A, look at you, you have come so far … I guess it shouldn’t be something you should regret right?
Yea, I don’t regret it at all of course.
The truth is, I went into the program expecting just a Pass. I’ve surpassed my expectations so, A or B, doesn’t matter to me.
I’m 2 years late, but I think you really have some good principles there.