The beginning: my journey as an educator

          The Journey begins when I decided to "make a change" in my nursing career. All I wanted was to earn money greater than from what I'm earning in my precious hospital where we came from. It is the time when I finally decided to teach the future generations of the nursing profession. But the idea doesn't come to me back then, what is pre-occupied in my mind is that finally I will earn something that I deserve (because we received unfair compensation in our previous hospital) and this time we will be paid per hour. 

      By the time that I've applied for a clinical instructor position I do not have any idea that there will be a teaching demo. And to tell you, my family background is the type where in we always won the "most behave" award because we doesn't talk alot with people, especially in front of other people. Then, we need to talk..not just talk but discuss! And I am a type of student in my college days that doesn't report and always tell excuses to my professors to not report at all. Luckily, that time I was conditioned to talk after my two normal deliveries in the hospital I just received a call from my mother that I will be having my teaching demo, and I escape from my duty as a nurse and go directly to the school, I am so ready. :)

     

        My first teaching demo was a disaster. We must discuss impromptu, in front of the students without any guide, without any instructional materials and all I have is my experience. And I discussed the stages of Labor and delivery, coming from my two labor and delivery sessions in our hospital. Luckily, with that material I got in.

       My second teaching demo experience is like an apocalypse. When our coordinator asked us to demonstrate in front of other aspirants to become an educator in a university, I knew it will be hell. Each and everyone have their talent in discussing because now, I am now moving into another level and we were informed 24 hours prior to the actual teaching demo so I think I'm ready this time. I got my two material that time, I have my power point slides and my acetates. The only difference now, is that the coordinator and aspiring professors are the one who will watch with my demonstrations. I was confident that I do not have to prepare the things that I need to say because I knew that we have limited time in discussing. Then, I do not know what is within me of all the demonstrators I was the only one who discussed for about 30 mins. with pauses coming from the coordinator stating that "please elaborate". During that time, I am looking at the door a part of me wanted to escape, a part of me wanted to stop because I can see in the look of her eyes that I am not worthy of the position. But I did not. And I will never do that..And at the end of it, It seems like she's interested in me and took me as one of her aspiring faculty member. :)

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER AS AN EDUCATOR

     Being an educator, means you are perfect. Being Perfect means having no emotions. Having No emotions means you are not human at all! This the first lesson that I've learned when I entered the field of an educator. The first time I enter the classroom I really wanted to seat in the student's chairs and wait for my professor. But now, it's the other way around. Before entering the classroom, I was asked by two "matured" looking students if I am Ms. Go, and told them yes, of course I smiled. Then, they whisper "ah..bago.." When I was oriented by the looks of the students I was scared. They are older, wiser and more clever than me and with that idea I am scared. When I entered the classroom, the students were noisy. It was an average introduction, from my average self. I do not have any outrageous achievements. I just told them about the subject and then the requirements. I stick to being the traditional, and I copied the previous techniques of my average professors way back before. I ended the class earlier, one thing that I've learned from my previous professors during the orientation days, it is implied that everybody must go home earlier on your first day of class, so I did. 

     I was resting in our faculty room where you can meet different types of professors. Then, a student from my previous class came, and approach the other professor. I was pretending that I don't see her, because I hate making gestures to people that I do not know that much. She was happy to see that professor, and she was telling her that she missed her alot. Then, something came out to her mouth that cuts my back like a knife. She told my colleague "ma'am ayoko sa kanya, ikaw na lang" pertaining to me that she didn't like me and she wanted to have the other professor. I was there, I hear it. But I pretend that I didn't. I pretend that I'm busy reading my lecture. But it hurts. 

    It was hard to establish rapport with my first class. They are all brats. Even the guys they are. I remember I had a student who is so rich that he have his time and schedule of choice in class, because he is the owner of a bar. I even have the mean girls, and their leader is the one who told me that she didn't like me. It was hard for me to adjust. With this new work, the new set-up, the new encounters. 

     But that doesn't stop me from my aspiration to excel as an educator. What came to me is the idea of "who cares if you didn't like me, do I ask you to like me?" then I strive, I strive to be better. I strive to be the best. I strive for that someone that they can accept. And then after 30 days of striving, I excel. I excel in the sense that they appreciated my effort of teaching them, appreciated my effort in adapting them, appreciated my efforts to become their accepted teacher. And that girl who told that she didn't like me, after 30 days..she says "sorry", I ask her "why?" pretending that I didn't know where that came from, and then she told me "ma'am basta sorry po" and I just smiled. That is the time that I realized that as an educator we must learned to masked out our emotions in order pretend that everything is okay, in order to pretend that everything was fine although you know you're not. But at the end of it, you know how to win the fight and succeed.

MY UNFORGETTABLE STUDENTS

     JESSERIN - the owner and HR manager of their company. The most richest among my students. She is humble in her own little way. I cannot forget the first time that we talk, I asked her "bakit di po kayo pumasok nung first day" and then she told me "masama ang pakiramdam ko bakit bawal?" and then I shut my mouth and hope to die..hehehe! But seriously, we have a great bond I feel secured when she was in my classroom. Secured in the sense that I know everyone will listen and follow because she was there. She even wrote me a poem with my name as her themes.

     ISKA - the siomai girl, I always smile when I remember that we scan her bags for siomai, and we were laughing when we see that her bag contained siomai with no notebooks, no ballpens all are siomai!

     DOROTHY - the girl who seems to be always there but wasn't there. I'm discussing the lesson slowly and we were already making funny jokes already when she will interrupt the class stating.."ma'am ano nga po ulit yon?" hehehe!

    DENNIS ENRIQUEZ, SADIE VIOLANTE and the rest of the gang - I will not forget all the duty days that we have where in I discussed everything! from anatomy-pathophysiology, from the instruments to the drugs, we even discussed the first-sixth sense and lastly I will always remember the times we discussed how our world ends. 

MY LAST DAY IN SASN

The picture in the left are letters gave to me by my students in SASN. These are only 13 letters from the 13 significant students in SASN. It was our last day of class, we have our farewell party and I wasn't telling them that I am going to resign and I will be moving into another institution. I wanted to say goodbye, so I wrote them letters. Each and everyone of them, I told them that I was happy to have them as my students. Then, they also wrote me letters. One thing that I've learned from this students, it doesn't matter if your perfect or not, if you are able to inspire others and made them move for their brighter future, then that is what made you a better educator.They made them inspired because I inspired them as well. That is what I am right now. I wanted to be the inspiration of my students. That there is no right or wrong in this world, if you have dream you must learn to work hard and strive for it. And we can always make that happen :)