Values in My Teaching Development

Life is a funny thing. Sometimes you have no idea where it will lead you or what you will end up doing. This holds true for me. Back in college, before I decided what I was going to do with my life, I promised myself that I would never become a teacher. Look at me now. In the past five years I graduated with a degree in education, hopped on a plane to teach English in Korea and now I am planning to start a MA TESOL program. Life is a funny thing.

I suppose I always looked up to teachers. When I was growing up, I would barely see my parents. They were too busy working and saving up to make sure that my brother and I could have opportunities that they never had. At school, I saw the teacher as a role model, a friend, a mentor and a parent. Maybe this is what drew me into the teaching field. I knew that a teacher could change and impact the world. I decided that I wanted to leave a mark in peoples’ lives, even if it was at the cost of economic gains.

I can still remember the moment when I told my mom and dad that I wanted to be a teacher. My dad was in clear shock and disbelief. He was an Asian parent to the core. He thought that I was going to be a doctor or some type of businessman, but I didn’t want that type of life. I knew that no matter what, I was going do what I wanted. And my mother, who is one of the closest people to me, said something that I will never forget. She said that it’s your life and you should do what will make you happy and she will support me to the very end. There is nothing like a mother’s love and support… nothing. So, on I went to become a teacher.

The year of student teaching was not fun. It was hard and mentally stressful. There were so many people, including veteran teachers, who said that I shouldn’t be a teacher. That it is a bad career path in these modern times. Hearing this wanted me to prove them wrong. I have always been a person who does things the hard way, and I took this as a personal challenge. I promised myself that I will use my teaching degree for something incredible. I wanted to prove that the field of education was not a dark pit that people fall into.

To this day, I still get odd looks when I tell people that I’m a teacher. I wonder if it’s the fact that I’m a male, or the fact that I’m Asian. You really don’t find a lot of male Asian teachers in western education. But here in Korea, it’s a bit different. Teachers here are a bit more respected and held to a higher bar. Yet, I feel like sometimes I’m not taken seriously due to the fact that any native English speaker can hold a similar title as I do. I guess this is one of the reasons that I am pursuing my MA in TESOL. I am still trying to prove my worth as a teacher and make my mark in people’s lives.