Throughout the past four years I've spent at UPOU, I like to think that I've learned to manage my time well. As someone who cherishes sleep and rest, I very rarely stay up late or pull all-nighters to read resources, finish assignments, pass requirements, and meet deadlines. I can probably count on one hand the nights I studied until early morning, followed by either sleeping while the world around me was awake or pushing through the whole day as though I didn't have little to no sleep at all. This year, however, the last week of May and most of June told a completely different story. 

On May 22, 26, 27, and 28, I sent follow-up emails to my gatekeeper, requesting that she review the materials and share any feedback or suggestions she may have, as I couldn't progress with my project's design without her approval and advice. I was growing distressed, expressing that timely communication was crucial to avoid delays in both the teacher training initiative and the school’s summer program. As I mentioned before, time was ticking quickly toward June—not to mention that I was also doing my best to submit the first three chapters of my formal thesis by the end of May. Additionally, I had also sent several inquiries for clarification, as I was eager to finalize the EduPREP training and orientation program, along with designing the EduPREP Teacher's Handbook and EduPREP Presentation Slides.

One of my questions was whether the English curriculum at FIS aligns with the DOET’s 2018 General Education English Curriculum (GEEC), as mentioned by my subject matter expert (SME), who provided his feedback on the EduPREP instructional design on May 26. He stated that, for EduPREP to be more effective and aligned with the 2018 GEEC and DOET's English Speaking Contest, I should:

• Explicitly integrate curriculum themes and topics to improve alignment and facilitate classroom application; 

• Broaden the focus beyond speaking and include links to reading/listening activities that can scaffold speaking tasks;

•  Differentiate and tailor activity examples and rubrics by grade level; 

• Include examples mapped to student textbooks or units following GEEC; and,

• Offer multimodal instructional strategies, as recommended in GEEC’s psychological competence development.

At a time when my gatekeeper was not responding despite multiple emails and messages, being told by my SME that EduPREP is a well-developed, practice-oriented training framework was incredibly relieving and fulfilling. With his recommendations, I was able to identify the weak points of my drafts and revise them accordingly. 

Ms. Tiffany finally responded on May 30, stating that the content of the instructional design and plan was complete, very detailed, and ready for implementation. She suggested that I begin preparing the training materials. She also confirmed that the English program at FIS ensures the full transmission of the 2018 GEEC's knowledge and skills requirements while simultaneously expanding and enhancing students' English proficiency through the school's own program, which follows Cambridge English standards. Notably, she informed me that the summer program at FIS would start on June 16 instead of June 9—another sigh of relief, as it gave me more time to prepare thoroughly. 

I replied that the materials were already in progress and that I would provide updated versions of the instructional design and plan based on my SME's recommendations. I asked if Ms. Tiffany could provide sample Vietnamese national English textbooks and/or the English textbooks used at FIS to help me align the content of the summer program accordingly. 

I received no response, so I emailed again on June 6. I sent Ms. Tiffany an expanded Content and Program Flow of the EduPREP Training and Orientation for the English Speaking Summer Program, which I based on educational foundations, established articles and blogs, and relevant research. I informed her of adjustments I made to avoid redundancy and improve clarity. I requested the DOET’s English Speaking Contest evaluation criteria and rubrics—absent from the previous content document—as they were essential for Activity #2: Rubric-Based Review and Learning Objective #3: Use the DOET speaking rubric to evaluate student speeches and align classroom instruction with contest expectations. 

I also followed up on the requested textbooks and included the link to the EduPREP Presentation Slides and updates on the Teacher’s Handbook. Lastly, I reiterated earlier inquiries: 

• A list of teachers who may participate in the training as secondary participants;

• A convenient date, time, and preferred location for the training session; and,

• A date, time, and location to meet beforehand to discuss the program and brief the implementer.

Again, I received no response, so I followed up on June 9. Ms. Tiffany finally replied on June 11 and shared important updates regarding the summer program:  

• Duration: 8 weeks (June 16 to August 8, 2025);

• Schedule: 5 days/week (Monday to Friday);

• Class hours: 8 periods/day, 40 minutes/period; and, 

• Periods per teacher per day: depending on student enrollment. 

She also expressed concern that 63 slides might be too many. I responded that the session would run for approximately three hours, and based on instructional design recommendations, a general guideline is about two minutes per slide (Caklos, 2022). I assured her that the materials were designed using established principles, such as Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning (DeBell, 2019). 

Ms. Tiffany then provided the names of the required DOET English textbooks and those used at FIS. Unfortunately, I was not given access to copies of these books, so given the limited time, I focused on developing the training materials I already had. Furthermore, she suggested pilot testing the training on Friday afternoon (June 13) or Saturday morning (June 14). I requested a meeting the next day (June 12) to brief her and the implementer/trainer, go over the program, and discuss the slides and activities for smoother coordination. 

Evidently, most of my gatekeeper’s emails focused on technical changes and lacked feedback on my instructional design processes, despite multiple reminders and requests. Overwhelmed by the amount of work I needed to accomplish within a matter of hours and without constructive feedback and support, I turned to my SME, asking if he could review the slides: Was the content per slide appropriate? Was the number of slides acceptable for a 3-hour session? 

In that moment of stress, I was incredibly grateful that he agreed to meet that evening. He suggested changes in content, flow, and length, and recommended that I create a training booklet separate from the teacher’s handbook to facilitate training activities. He also introduced helpful AI tools, such as Napkin, Quillbot, and Mindshow, which he uses to assist him in academic and professional endeavors. With this, he advised me on the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, especially from the perspectives of an educator. 

That night, I stayed up late revising the slides, the handbook, and creating the training booklet. I realized I was underprepared for the activities, as I had not yet gathered the resources I needed, so I also made sure I got those covered, especially because I could be meeting with my gatekeeper and the implementer/trainer the next day. I was deep into my workload, not knowing how to stop, not feeling a need to rest my eyes. I remember keeping my laptop, monitor, and every gadget I was using on through the night, telling myself to take a "nap" for a few hours at 3:00 a.m., and resuming my work upon waking up at 7:00 a.m. 

At 9:30 a.m., I had a mental breakdown after receiving an email from Ms. Tiffany. The good news: she sent the DOET rubrics and suggested that three teachers facilitate the EduPREP presentation instead of one, given the length and load of the content. The bad news: she said the training would take place next Saturday, June 28, and proposed that we meet the coming Monday or Tuesday. My world crashed. What was the point of a training and orientation program if it happened after classes started? I was exhausted and devastated. I had worked so hard to get everything done before the week ended, and in that moment, it felt meaningless. I cried as I tried to compose a reply—but I couldn’t. Instead, I calmed myself down, got dressed, and decided to visit her office to speak in person so that I could express how much this project means to me and their summer program, and failure to execute it properly would cost me my degree and the preparation of their teachers for their summer classes. 

Ms. Tiffany was expecting me. She admitted her email had an error and apologized. We came to an agreement that the training would be held on Saturday, June 14, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. At that same meeting, I was also able to brief the three implementing teachers, answer their questions, and note their suggestions. I didn’t let my emotions control me for the rest of the day. I focused on finishing everything: that evening, I emailed the completed Teacher’s Handbook and Training Booklet to Ms. Tiffany and the three implementers, and spent the night polishing the slides. 

On June 13, I emailed them a Guide for Activities, which included additional information and sample discussion prompts to support the implementers. I went to the local print shop to prepare physical copies of all materials, which I then brought to FIS to show and provide to my gatekeeper and the implementers. That evening, all that was left was to rest and hope for the best in the implementation of EduPREP: Professional Readiness for English Speaking Proficiency – Training and Orientation for the English Speaking Summer Program.