Jesper Simola, an English major, is a familiar face: having previously been interviewed by us, we now check back in with him to talk about his new position as the Editor-in-Chief of Better Than Sliced Bread (a webzine run by English students) and about his teaching experience.
You’ve now been the Editor-in-Chief for BTSB for this past semester. How have you felt about this new position?
Long story short, I’m loving it. Coming in was a bit intimidating since our previous Editor-in-Chief, Kaisa Leino, had held the position for a good four and a half years, and was largely responsible for me sticking around for as long as I have. Needless to say, I had some big shoes to fill… Though I’ve come to realize that I don’t have to fill them alone, and have the help of an amazing bunch of people that are working on BTSB. Our previous, Halloween-themed, issue, was written on a much shorter schedule than usual, yet our team was able to still pull off a hell of an issue. They make me look good, and I hope to keep returning the favor.
You also write for Her Campus Helsinki. Has it been difficult to fit both writing positions into your schedule?
Much less difficult than expected! What helps is that all of my writing for Her Campus Helsinki so far has been my film column, Filmlandia, so I don’t need to spend much time thinking about what to write for the next article. I spend a lot of time watching movies and thinking about them anyway, so it’s like I’m preparing for them without even being aware of it. I’m also happy about having a bit more of a steady schedule to keep writing, as I’ve noticed that it’s helping me with my other writing too. By constantly writing, it’s much easier to get started on a new piece.
What advice would you give to someone who would like to write for a student publication but hasn’t gathered the courage yet?
Go to a meeting. It sounds so simple, but it’s true. When I thought about writing for BTSB, my workplace at the time had just closed, so I suddenly found myself with a lot more free time. I had written quite a bit when I was younger, but hadn’t really done it in a long while. As a result, I was a bit nervous about trying to write again. However, all of that didn’t really matter. As soon as I got to the meeting, I got over my fears, because I saw that everyone else there was just like me. We’re all just students looking to practice creative writing, and we’re honestly there to help each other out. In a way, once you finally get your first piece published and see it amongst the other articles on the page, it’s cathartic. Best of all, that feeling never truly goes away. So, yeah, just come to a meeting. You can even just sit and listen if that’s what you want. And if you come to a BTSB meeting and see me running it as the Editor-in-Chief, remember that I’ve been the newbie at a BTSB meeting too. We all have.
You are also a teacher. Are you planning on continuing writing along your teaching jobs?
Yes, I’d love to continue writing as long as I can, wherever that may be. I’m also keen to get back into podcasting and making videos so hopefully that’ll be something I can do on a more steady basis soon.
You currently teach at an adult education center. How have you liked the teaching experience?
I don’t always feel comfortable, and I do make mistakes at times, but I also feel like, forgive me for the cliché, teaching is a part of me. From my mom’s side of the family, both her parents were teachers and two of her brothers are too (though one recently retired). My mom herself has worked with children as well so there’s that familial aspect of “this is what we do.” However, it wasn’t a case where I thought that I should teach because others have taught. It honestly came pretty naturally, and as a result of years at the university and experiences with influential teachers throughout my life. When I’m up there in front of the class, warts and all, it just feels right.
How does teaching adults differ from teaching kids?
To be fair, I don’t have a lot of teaching experience yet, especially with kids. I’ve been working at Helsinki’s Adult Education Centre for over a year now, but the only experience I have with teaching kids came during my teaching practice, when I got to practice in both Ressu and Rastaala Elementary school. But from my limited experience, I’ve noticed that with adults, I kind of feel like I go along with their whims a lot more. With the conversation class I teach at the moment, I especially like to get their wishes for topics and activities, though I still chose a lot of the stuff myself and do have to be well prepared so that we won’t run out of stuff to do or talk about during the 90 minutes. That being said, teaching adults and teaching kids relies on a lot of the same principles: you want to keep an eye on all of your students and make sure that they’re all getting a chance to contribute.
What’s the best memory you have from teaching?
Can I share two? While practicing in Rastaala, I remember that there was one boy in my fourth grade class who clearly took a shine to me. It was the first time I felt a real connection with a student, and felt the responsibility of being a teacher. Some kids aren’t going to give a damn about you, while others could possibly see you as a role model, and that’s not something to be taken lightly. I’ll always remember when finishing my last lesson there, I told them that my practice was ending, at which point, the boy turned around to where my tutor (his usual teacher) was sitting and asked in Finnish “is Jesper leaving??” That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside…
Another similar moment came at the end of spring last year. I had been teaching a class in Malmi based on easy conversations in English for those who wanted to improve their English language skills. They were mostly below intermediate level so many of them would struggle at times. At the end of the very last session, an older gentleman informed me that he had prepared a speech to thank me for the year. He was able to deliver a very touching speech entirely in English simply with the help of a few bullet points. I had to miss the first three lessons after the Christmas break, and he made reference to that saying that, despite almost losing them [the students], I finally found them again. It was incredibly humbling. I think about that group every week.
Do you have any final words you’d like to share with our readers?
Never stop thinking, but only speak when necessary.