“I don’t want to become a teacher.” I can still remember my snobby face while that statement bumps the lobes in my head. It was 10 years ago though. A lot has changed since then. Going back, it's my definite answer to the No. 1 question I was frequently asked before entering college life. I want a change that’s why. I’ve been spending all my years in school and I won’t give teaching a go as a profession either. That was my thought back then. I’ve chosen to take up a Nursing course instead.
Ironically, if words can be eaten, I ate it all up. It is because I am now a teacher and I love being called one. A living proof that the only thing that’s constant in this world is change.
Teaching brought me to different heights in my life. It’s definitely where I find my purpose. It was a great opportunity to impart what I’ve learned not just as an educator but as a person living and facing the realities of this world.
I’ve been teaching here for more than two years now. I can still remember my first day of teaching, I felt an ambivalence with that circumstance I am about to face. The norms and culture somehow match the place where I grew up. It’s not too hard to adjust except in learning their language. To mention, it’s the outset of a life living far from home. Sleepless nights, feeling homesick and living alone. Yet, the motivation that I’m doing it not just for myself but for the ones I loved gave me the courage to get back on the track.
I’ve taught secondary students in a province in South Thailand, then I’ve had a summer job as an assistant teacher in Chonburi, searching brought me to a Kindergarten teaching position in Rayong province and I’m now here in Phuket as an ESL teacher for students who have had a special place in my heart.
Working at Phuket Has Been Good To Us (PHBGTU) Foundation taught me more about selflessness. It’s going beyond the goal of sharing knowledge and pursuing the illumination of academics in light of the subjects we’re teaching our students. It’s deeper and that’s what I love the most in teaching here. I’ve learned not just to be a teacher, but to be a sister or sometimes a mother to the students who long for this kind of care and love. I’m amazed of how most of our students undauntedly face living in the school and not being with their family most of the time. At a very young age, they’ve known how to live independently and have surpassed circumstances that were not meant yet for them to experience. They’re like seedlings growing in a plot full of thorns and rocks. I admire them and will be forever grateful for having the opportunity to teach and care for them.
Time will come that this experience will just be a fragment of a memory. Yet, it’s something worth remembering. PHBGTU is a remarkable organisation which helps young individuals to realize their dreams. Working here is like being with your family. It feels like you’re home. I would want to grab this opportunity to encourage people to reach out to the lives of the youth today. It’s not too late to share, care and love them. It is because at the end of the day, as an educator, what matters most is not the number of rewards you get but the lives you’ve helped nourished to grow. It’s transformation indeed!
Now, let’s all move on to our next destination. Ready? Buckle up! Enjoy the ride!
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