Odd Occurrences in Media Land and Why I am Teaching in the Media Today
Nicholas Jensen, UK
Nicholas Jensen M.A., BSc (Hons), MInstL is a media lecturer at East Riding College in Beverley, East Yorkshire, England. He is interested in writing and singing. He has written a Masters thesis while at the University of Northern Iowa. His current interests are analysis of relationships in the media and how they influence expectations in reality. E-mail: Nick.Jensen@eastridingcollege.ac.uk
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Introduction
Strange coincidences in Media Land
February 6th was about to get stranger
Narrator’s world and real world
Subconscious or supernatural conclusions
Proving them wrong
Postgraduate scholar
Aspirations and achievements
Teaching media can be a fulfilling experience; however, the road to getting there may not be easy. Some people overcome adversity and achieve this, just as I did. There are also very strange occurrences that can occur that may not happen in any other job. It is true that teaching is the hardest and most rewarding job anyone will ever do, but it is also sometimes very strange indeed …
Throughout the past few months, some very strange coincidences and odd occurrences have been manifesting themselves at the local college, affectionately termed ‘Medialand’. What is Media land, you may well ask? Well, in my profession as a media lecturer, Media land is an affectionate term used to describe my job routine. In the last academic year my students and I have been noticing odd occurrences that surely could never happen twice?
One of the odd occurrences happened on the morning of February 6th 2008. I was in class teaching my students about the use of voiceovers in film and television. I hadn’t reviewed the movie I was going to show as I had taught this class in the past and knew what content was necessary. Whether subconscious, or not, a very strange event occurred. It was time to review the Turner Network Television re-make of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot. As my students listened intently the narrator recounted the tale of the character and author Benjamin Mears.
The ‘scary’ part was yet to come as the narrator said:
Nobody pronounced ‘Salem’s Lot dead on the morning of February 6th , no-one knew it was, most people not knowing the town was dead went about their daily business as usual …
Odd occurrences in Media land? My students hadn’t noticed until I mentioned it to them and then there was a collective murmur with regards the spookiness of the situation. Whether subconscious or supernatural, things are always certainly interesting in Media land.
We all have people we admire, be that the teenage girl’s crush on the latest pop sensation, or conversely someone who inspires us to follow in their footsteps. The latter of the two mentioned is the situation I found myself in. It had been remarked that I would not be able to attend university due to current schoolteacher perceptions of my ability. I eventually attended university where I met a man who would guide me in the direction of my current career. I achieved a 2:1 honours degree in Media Technology.
Two years later I procured a place on a postgraduate course in the United States of America studying Mass Communications. Upon my return to England, I started work as a Media lecturer, (the same job as my mentor).
Having taught me to believe in myself, and commenting after an examination that:
I have taught all manner of students in the past. You are one of the reasons I got into teaching. It is nice to see such a passion come from somebody.
Currently, I have future aspirations to gain a PhD in the subject of Media. Fourteen years on, I am a different person to the fifteen year old who would go nowhere, and I have had experiences I never thought would have been possible. For current students in schools and colleges, if you are told you cannot pursue a dream, believe in yourself, and you will be living your dreams, just as I am living mine …
Please check the What’s New in Language Teaching course at Pilgrims website.
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