睿騏英語 Teri 老師 2019教學回顧｜Teaching Reflection 2018| EET, Taiwan

EET 睿騏英語 Teri 老師 2019年教學回顧

Annual Teaching Reflection 2019 by EET Instructor Teri

Minor, Major changes in my life

Is 2020 the end of a decade or the start of a new one? People have different opinions about this, but whether you think that 2020 is the end of a decade or you believe that it is the start of a new decade, one fact remains the same: 10 years has gone by between 2010 and 2020. Wow! That is a lot to take in! For reference, here is a side-by-side photo of me from 2010 and from the last quarter of 2019:

Just from looking at the photo, would you say a lot has changed? Hahaha! Anyway, in this piece of writing, I want to talk about 2 popular but opposing sayings:

Change is the only permanent thing in this world.
Some things never change.

Let us discuss the first one first…

Just from looking at the photo, would you say a lot has changed? Hahaha! Anyway, in this piece of writing, I want to talk about 2 popular but opposing sayings:

Change is the only permanent thing in this world.
Some things never change.

Let us discuss the first one first…

A lot of people say (and I’m sure that a lot of people will agree!) that nothing is permanent in this world; that everything is temporary. If that is the case, then it is only logical to assume that indeed, “change is the only permanent thing in this world”.

Now I ask myself, what has changed in my life in 10 years?

Answer: A LOT!

Let me list down a few major and minor changes that has happened in my life for that past decade in chronological order:

September 2010: Major change

I graduated and got my undergraduate degree in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs in The Philippines.

Yes, I am not a native English speaker. I have never actually been to The USA ever. But my English is not that bad eh? So what I want people to understand is that knowing the English language and using it effectively is a skill which can be acquired through constant practice.

September 2012: Minor change at that time, but in hindsight, this is a major change.

I started teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).

I started teaching ESL to adults in language cram schools as I have no idea how to handle kids but I had prior experience teaching adults, albeit not ESL. In the beginning, I only did this to supplement my extended vacation in Taiwan but I later on realized that teaching is my vocation.

2014: Major life change!

My father passed away.

2014, in general, was a year where my life changed drastically.

I was always someone who had a plan but I didn’t plan on my dad dying [sarcastic humor there!] so that was a year where I felt lost and in limbo. It is a very hard pill to swallow that we cannot control things no matter how hard we try.

January 2016: Minor change.

I got a job teaching ESL in a kindergarten.

I still have that job now.

Do I like it? Yes because it pays the bills.

And also, who would have thought that I would be able to work with kids? Haha.

Enough said.

July 2011: Major change

I moved to Taiwan.

At first, I only came to Taiwan for a vacation and to “trace my roots”. But I ended up falling in love with the country and staying.

September 2013: Major change

I got my Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Certificate.

Yay! Getting this certificate meant that I have the necessary credential to teach ESL and to actually possibly make a career out of it.

June 2015: Major change for my friend’s life.

Minor change for my life at that time but when I think about it now, this occasion was a total eye-opener for me.

One of my childhood best friends got married.

I remember when this friend told me that she was going to get married, I was super happy for her and I was looking forward to the wedding. The wedding was fun; but after her wedding, it dawned on me that life is not some fairytale. Life is ups & downs and good & bad and okay & not okay but it is wonderful just the same and we have to be happy and thankful even for just the simple fact that we get open our eyes and wake up to live another day.

March 2017: Major change.

I started teaching with EET.

If you have read my past pieces for EET, you would know that I started working with EET to fill my idle hours. But after some time, teaching with EET actually grew on me. Now I look forward to all my lessons and I feel like I have truly found my passion and vocation.

2018: --

Nothing much happened in 2018. This year I was just coasting through life, just happy enough to not be in a limbo anymore. But towards the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 I felt like coasting was not doing me any good anymore. I have to step it up somehow.

I decided that I wanted to improve my mandarin but I knew that going to a language cram school is not really my style. Oh how I wish there is a Mandarin equivalent of the approaches EET uses in teaching a second language!

So anyway, I finally made up my mind to push myself to learn Mandarin in an unconventional way: by signing up for a Taiwanese government exam and attending an all-Mandarin cram school course to prepare for it. This way, I will force myself to learn.

November 2019: Major change.

I got my Technician Class C Skill Category of Chinese Cuisine Cookery –Meat Diet License ( 中餐烹調-葷食)

Did my Mandarin improve? Yes, only by a little bit. Just like learning English and any other language, I am fully aware that it takes time and constant practice to really learn a language.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to make it, so you can only imagine how elated I am to be able to pass the exams.

August 2019: Major change.

I joined a cram school course in preparation for the Technician Class C Skill Category of Chinese Cuisine Cookery ( 中餐烹調-葷食)

So now that I have shared my milestones for the past decade, I guess all I really wanted to share and my point is that there are some things that we think are a big deal but then end up to be not such a big deal at all; then there are things that we think are nothing but they end up being the things that are really monumental. And of course, this proves that change is the only permanent thing in the world. We cannot control things that are meant to happen but instead, we have to embrace these changes and work accordingly as they come. Life is good. It always changes but it’s good. And when the time comes that we feel we have reached a plateau, it is somehow our responsibility to ourselves to get out of that rut and look for ways to keep improving ourselves. In my case, I knew I had to find a way to assimilate in Taiwan so I had to force myself to learn the language and the culture in a way that I know would work for me and that’s what I did even if I wasn’t sure if it was going to work out. But it did and for that I am glad.

Now, on to the second and opposing saying that some things ever change…

For me, no matter how many changes I have been through and how many more changes I might have to go through in the future, some things will always remain the same like my values and principles; these, to me, are paramount.

To prove my point, I will show you what have remained the same despite the changes that I have been through:

July 2011:

I moved to Taiwan.

Luckily for me, moving to Taiwan has generally been a smooth transition. I have been living here for around 9 years now but the friendships that I built from childhood up until I left for Taiwan in the Philippines, I still have them now. Thanks to technology, it makes keeping in touch easier and more efficient.

2014:

My father passed away.

This has got to be one of the lowest points in my life but I do find comfort in the things that never change like the memories that my father and I have created in the 24 years that I got to spend with him. The lessons and advice that he has imparted to me are extremely practical and invaluable. Life experiences may keep changing who I am but these things will forever remain the same.

September 2013:

I got my Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) Certificate.

Getting the TESOL certificate was not an easy decision for me. It does cost a substantial amount of money, especially because at that point in time of my life I was just a young adult starting out in a new country and I was earning below the average. But Some things never change, like me sticking to my guts and believing in myself. Looking back at it now, I am really glad I did.

March 2017:

I started teaching with EET.

It has been around 3 years now and the fundamentals remain the same. The teaching approaches haven’t changed. They have, in fact, become stronger as years pass. EET’s approach to learning a language aligns almost exactly with my own personal approach. Now these specific approaches do take time and they don’t happen overnight but they are tried and tested over time.

So there you have it!

This piece of writing is very special to me since I am not really the type of person who likes to share a lot of my private life. But I think this moment is the right moment to at least try and be more open.

We all struggle at one point of our lives or another but what is important is that we keep going and don’t stop. The same thing applies when it comes to learning English: there are times when we feel like we are making good progress (of course we will be super happy those times) but there will also be times when we feel like we are not improving one bit. If we are feeling the latter, just take a moment to stop and think that nothing is permanent; that things will get better sooner or later. Oh, wait, some things never change, right? I hope what doesn’t change is our grit and determination to keep going and aspiring to set and achieve new goals continually.

Cheers to another 10 years....or more!