Below is an interview I conducted with Ms Rose, an English teacher from Mutiara Harapan Junior and Senior High School.
Interviewer: Marsya Edeline, a student of the interviewee.
Interviewee: Jacqueline Rose Solis, junior high and senior high English teacher.
Marsya: How did you come to be a teacher? Is it your dream job?
Ms Rose: At first I thought I was passionate about Science so I dreamed of becoming an environmental scientist, but then I was also considering my parents’ hope of seeing me become a successful lawyer someday. So when I was in university, I took up Environmental Science as my initial course for half a year but shifted to a Political Science degree which I studied for another six months. For my first year in the university, it was a bit convoluted as I was still unsure of which university degree I should take as my final path. Then I went back to my high school and rubbed elbows with my former school principal. He told me about the current international demand for Filipino English teachers overseas and advised me to pursue English teaching. Thankfully, I finished the program and succeeded in teaching abroad.
Marsya: You have been teaching for 16 years, what makes you choose to continue on being a teacher?
Ms Rose: I was made aware that I had this hidden passion in teaching which unfolded in the most astonishing turn of events. For 16 years in the teaching industry, I was given the opportunity to experience almost all kinds of positions present in the educational system from managing, coordinating, supervising down to simply teaching learners in the classroom. These various responsibilities and challenges have fostered both my professional and personal growth which I cherish until now.
Marsya: If you could restart your career journey with the knowledge you have now, would you change your career path? Why or why not?
Ms Rose: Definitely not. Well, I believe that I am where I am now for the right reasons. Throughout my career journey, I have acquired a myriad of educational pedagogies that are valuable for my teaching profession, human relations and interpersonal skills.
Marsya: Is teaching in the classroom vastly different from what your education has prepared you for?
Ms Rose: I have finished aligned qualifications useful for my instructional responsibilities in the field I am teaching - English, and gained sufficient experiences relevant to classroom mentoring.
Marsya: What is the most notable lesson that you have gained from teaching?
Ms Rose: The virtue of humility.
Marsya: What can you say to aspiring teachers that you wish someone had said to you before you started teaching?
Ms Rose: Love your students.
Marsya: That’s all the questions that I have for you, thank you so much!