This summer break just made me reflect on different things about my life especially after I turned 30. I still can’t believe that high school was 14 years ago and college was 9 years ago. The question is, how did I end up being an educator? Where did my passion for teaching came from?
Let me share, hopefully briefly, my educational background in college. It was a roller coaster ride choosing what I really wanted to take up in college. Freshman year, I studied at the University of Asia and the Pacific. I have nothing against the school but It didn’t feel right being there. I gained really great friends there, but I didn’t see myself graduating there. So I told my dad that I’m going to transfer to De La Salle University in Manila. My parents were hesitant to send me there because it’s too far from Marikina. I really wanted to study there and take a premed course so my parents finally let go of me and we searched for homey dormitory for me near the school. Since I’m a transferee, the choices of courses were limited, mostly from the College of Education (CED). I got in touch with highschool friends who initially went to DLSU and they said that the CED will be the best college for me to get in because I’ll be graduating with a double degree. I asked myself, education? Being a teacher is the last thing on my mind that time. But then there’s a course in CED for secondary teaching where Biology is the Major. It’s so much similar with BS-Biology of the College of Science except that I’ll have to take education units. I told myself, this is perfect, still a premed. I enjoyed my first year at DLSU. The friends I met were just as great as my UA&P friends. The difference was my feeling of seeing myself graduating from that school. Meeting the best roommates in our dorm is also a plus.
After a year and I think one term in CED, three of us decided to shift to BS-Biology in the College of Science because we told ourselves that we won’t be teaching anyway. I didn’t feel so much of the difference except that I’m not taking up educ units anymore and I’ll graduate sooner (a year earlier). I really loved my course and enjoyed every learning experience I had. I was so sure that I’ll attend med school after and be a doctor. I attended review classes for the NMAT, applied in various med schools, had my interviews and even reserved in one school. But then a few weeks before our last day in college, there was a Job Fair in our campus. We were encouraged to submit our resume (since we just learned how to make one) and apply for our Social Security Number. Since my course was Biology, job offers were limited. The only booth that accepted my resume with open arms was Xavier School…yup! You read it right, I applied to become a teacher. I told the personnel assigned that I don’t have any teaching experience and I didn’t finish all my educ units. She said that it’s alright because Xavier School will help in that process if I get hired. She told me to wait for their call after the initial assessment. And they called, after a week or so for the written assessment. I went and took the tests.
I don’t know but eventually I felt that I shouldn’t go on with med school. I thought about it several times before I made the final decision. Then I just told my dad about it and knowing him, he was very supportive. I thought of taking Masters in SPED at DLSU. I actually enrolled and attended several Saturday classes until Xavier School got in touch with me again. They asked me to come and for an interview and met the Science Department Head. He’s asking me to demo teach for the Grade7 level, I remember the topic was Genetics. I said alright and truthfully told him that I don’t have any teaching experience yet. So he gave me tips and lent me a sample lesson plan that I may use as a guide. Another catch was that since it was summer vacation that time, I’ll have to demo in front of teachers who’ll pretend to be Grade7 students. Oh…ok I told myself “what have I gotten myself into?” Well here’s my opportunity, my parents and friends were supportive and told me that I should go on with this. I even told myself “what if I just back out and don’t show up?” Of course I didn’t do that because when I prayed God told me to go on. So there I did the demo, then I wasn’t expecting them to call me back. But Xavier did. I went through the panel interview then interview with the Director. Before I knew it, I was accepted in Xavier School.
I started as a Science substitute teacher. Until the next year, I was given my own advisory class for Grade 2…and then that was the beginning of my teaching journey. Xavier gave me an opportunity to take further studies to acquire the required education units before taking the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET) that I fortunately passed.
I fell in love with teaching easily. It is indeed fulfilling. Being a teacher is not only teaching children but also learning from each and every student I interact with. Everyday is a different learning experience when you’re a teacher. It is not a high paying job, I swear! But it is the good feeling after a long day thinking how much I’ve touched my students lives even for just a teeny-tiny bit.
Going back to my story, I taught in Xavier for 4 years and then I moved to a private preschool in Marikina, Integrated School For Young Children (ISYC), where I’m currently teaching (my 5th year).
So that’s my story, how I ended up being a teacher. I was thinking of what photo to include in this blog, I just thought of a red ballpen. It’s something all teachers have 😊.
Tags: Life of a teacher
Yummy!
. It was very similar to the fried dumplings being sold at the old Virramall in Greenhills, below the escalators (if you can remember that). It was really good too. Now you’ll ask me the cart’s name….I’m sorry he didn’t get it 😒 he was too excited to eat. All I can remember is it’s located near the Zagu cart at 168 mall.
teachernanay 