I don't really think about this question until my students asked me " miss, when did you realise that you want to be a teacher?
I think, time leads me this way..it was back in 2009 when I was in my last year of college , I got the offer to teach in vocational college , at that time, I didn't have any degree yet but they picked me because I had experience studying overseas....on my first day of the class, was so nervous as some of my students were in the same age as me. But, by the time it becomes easier and I feel more comfortable.
I and my airline students
Actually before teaching university students, I have tried teaching in different group levels, starting from elementary students- high schoolers- university ...personally, each level gave me positive and negative feeling
For elementary students for example, I think I need more passion here and not too focus on their academic but their attitude. I remembered how struggle I was when I tried to handle the class,one was reading, the other one was crying and the boys were dribbling the ball inside the classroom 😅 I was saved by the bell when I passed the scholarship then I resigned from the job.
My high school experience happened when I had to do internship for my graduation requirement, during that time, I had to do a 4 months internship in one school in Banda Aceh. These teenagers were in the age of being "lovebirds" ..so lots of flirting in the classroom and the hardest part was when I need to teach based on the strict curriculum. My not so good experience was when I asked the main teacher if I could teach the lesson differently but still based on the curriculum but her answer was " no, just did all the exercises in the book, because they will get that in the exam" ... so, for the whole months we only did the exercises on the textbook
Graduated in 2010, one day my mom brought home the newspaper ads about teaching vacancy in one private institution in Aceh .. after waiting for couple days, i got the call to have interview and teaching practice test .. Alhamdulillah I passed the test and that's how I start teaching in LP3I business College Banda Aceh . Since then, ive become their english lecturer, most of the time, I handle the general English class but sometimes I have English for job seeker subject
Comparing these three experiences make me to choose university level fits me best.. not only it challenges me to deal with adult learners but also provide me the flexibility to design my own lesson plan
The oldest students I have, my mom's friends ☺️
Since then, I got a lot of teaching job in university. Now, I am a freelance lecturer, I love teaching ESP class (English for Specific Purpose), so far o have taught medical students, business students, IT students, airline students, and also hotel students.
Having this experience not only improve my creativity but also expand my social network.. too many times I met my students in hospital, airport, banks or offices in Banda Aceh .. somehow, I feel "rich"
What about you? How's your teaching career starts?
