11,138 Km Journey: A Life Story of Mine
Ever since I was younger, I have always been interested in teaching, especially the math subject. I did not realize it at first, but I have always incorporated math in my whole life. I helped friends and strangers with their math assignments, and I find joy as I learn more aspects about the subject. I have met both great and bad teachers throughout my school life, with amazing teachers who continue to inspire me in my everyday life, and with terrible teachers making me realize that they still exist to this day. They left a mark in me and a pure surge of determination that once I become a teacher, I will never be like them.
I grew up in a city named “Quezon City;” I wish I had an interesting and happy childhood, but I did not. My whole childhood consisted of me spending the whole day playing by myself as I watch my fellow children play outside through our house window. I think this might be the reason that I have a videogame addiction; I grew up playing videogames for comfort and happiness since that was the only thing I could do besides studying. My parents were always working day and night, so they were not around often, which somewhat helped me to become independent. Furthermore, since my parents were not around to help me with my homework, I was left to do it myself. Sometimes, they would drop my sister and I in our relative’s house to spend the rest of the day in there. I was lucky because my aunts would let my sister and I play outside without my parents knowing. However, not being outside as much has impacted my self-esteem that I would be extremely shy and worse, uncooperative when playing with the other kids. One of the games I love playing outside was roleplaying as a teacher and creating a classroom where myself and the other children would teach each other what we learned in school. Although I had friends in school, I could only interact with them in there since phones were not relevant at that time. Going down memory lane made me realize that, maybe, I am destined to become a math teacher after all. Thinking about it, I have dedicated some of my childhood being invested in Mathematics so much that I would come to school on weekends to learn advanced Math.
My teenage years were better, but it felt “short.” My 7th grade was definitely one of the most memorable moments of my school life. I remember being the class president of my section. With this role, I was given the privilege to be in control of my classmates. Filipino teachers were very occupied people that sometimes, I would be given tasks such as teaching a topic in front of the class, checking exam papers, and reporting to teachers. I had an excellent Mathematics teacher who has urged me to tackle the path of becoming a teacher of Mathematics. She impacted my life greatly because of how well she taught us. She was not strict, but she had this personality that made our class be really invested with the Math subject, even the struggling students were very interested. This is the second paper that I have mentioned this teacher; I just admire her greatly and I thank her for inspiring me. Anyway, the reason my teenage years felt short was because I was only able to spend a short amount of time with my 7th grade classmates; I had to move in another country. On the brighter side, I was able to spend my one year of high school realizing my desired career path and meeting those amazing people. With all the positive impacts 7th grade has given me, it also has its negative impacts. This was the year when my father told me these exact words, “you are only good at the start.” He stated this because my average grade went down on the 2nd quarter. I was very devastated by his words; I still remember it till this day, but those words made me strive harder and achieve my goals.
I ended up being the top 1st—highest average—in my section.
I spent 13 years of my life in the Philippines before moving in Canada. Even though I was excited for a new chapter of my life, that 11,138km I travelled was the most heartbreaking part of my whole existence. Back in the Philippines, I used to own four pets: my three cats, Felix, Belinda, and Arthur; and my dog, Sasha.
Since I always stay at home, either doing schoolwork or playing videogames, my pets were my only companions whom I can talk to. Giving them away and leaving them behind was very hard for me, especially when I had to do all of it in a span of half a month. The plan to move in Canada was an instant, impulsive, decision that we did not have a time to settle our properties. As a result, everything happened so fast, and I was extremely overwhelmed. All my self-esteem and self confidence has decreased dramatically; I was once again shy and uncooperative. I arrived in this small city named Melville, and since it is a small area, everyone knew each other. Luckily, my classmates were very accommodating which made me feel welcomed in the new environment. I made friends that I still talk to this day.
After finishing 9th grade, I left Melville to move in Regina. The moving was not as hard for me comparing to when I moved to Canada from the Philippines. I felt more confident, and I had more faith inside me. I tried pursuing the career of psychiatry, but it did not resonate with me as much as I resonate with Mathematics teacher path. I think my childhood experiences and struggles has helped me to pursue this career. Having an interest in Math ever since I was younger and finding joy whenever I get through the hard questions proves that I find happiness with Math. I am sure in the future that I will also enjoy teaching it to my future students. I know Mathematics is not for everyone, and I admit that it is a hard subject. The stigma stating that Math concepts are not needed in the real world discourages people to tackle the subject. I will make sure once I become a Mathematics teacher, the subject will be interesting and encourages students. Not being able to explore the world as much as a child gives me the idea that I should encourage my students to explore the world as much as they can. We all know the world will not exist forever; my goal, as a future teacher, is to teach students to “seize the day” and enjoy life.