I enjoyed working with young children but I wanted to teach the subject English Literature itself, so after graduating, I taught in a high school in Singapore. I focussed on creating a cooperative community in the classroom. I wanted the students to understand the importance of mutual respect and cooperation so they could motivate each other and develop meaningful relationships. My goal was to make them comfortable in the classroom and look forward to school each day, so my colleagues and I worked hard to develop inspiring hands-on lessons to capture their imagination.
Beyond that, I was interested in teacher training too. As the English Literature coordinator, I would train new teachers, but the most exciting point was being given the opportunity to travel to Yogyakarta, Indonesia with three other educators from Singaporean schools to train teachers there. Over three weeks, we had such a fulfilling and significant time training the Indonesian teachers on how to individualise instruction, based on their students’ needs and interests.
It was such a positive cultural immersion trip and I learnt so much from the local teachers. We helped students plan for overseas trips to Australia or other parts of Southeast Asia and I tried to be involved beyond the classroom, as there is scope for every child to develop socially and academically as well.
After moving back to Perth in 2010, I knew I still wanted to be in the classroom but felt it was time for a change and looked into the ELICOS sector. I was used to working in a multicultural environment and I wanted to continue to emphasise inclusion as part of academic development. I was lucky to meet the most interesting adult students and learnt so much from them - their culture, their language and their hopes for the future.
After several years of being in the classroom, I knew it was time to push myself to grow. Fortunately for me, the opportunity to become a level coordinator arose. This position has given me skills in problem solving and people management. It has helped me to become aware of how much I enjoy creating and teaching different training programmes.
As the world progresses, I enjoy being able to change and am I’m determined to stay interested and hopefully interesting too. COVID has definitely changed my perception of how a classroom should look, and it reminds me to be as accommodating and versatile as I can for the students and their diverse learning styles. In the future, I hope I can continue to thrive in this industry.