Just so you know, this might be a long post, so here’s the TL;DR: Though leaving my teaching job was difficult, I don’t regret it. I loved helping students progress and collaborating with colleagues who shared my passion for education. Teaching was more than a job, and my passion for it remains.
I want to be honest with you about something. I don’t regret leaving my teaching job in South Korea. It was a stressful environment, especially during COVID-19, and I felt like my life wasn’t progressing the way I wanted it to; however, I find myself reminiscing almost daily about the happiness I felt while teaching my lovely students every day. The decision to leave the classroom wasn’t easy for me, but it’s allowed me to share with you what I love about teaching. Just so you know, this might be a long post, so I’ll include a “too long; didn’t read” at the top.
One of the most rewarding experiences as a teacher is watching students progress throughout the school year. When I was teaching English in South Korea, most of my students needed help grasping certain class concepts and topics, such as phonics and writing. Since they were six years old, according to the Lunar calendar, learning an entirely new language was challenging. However, it was amazing to see them go from struggling to read and write in English at the beginning of the school year to being able to write complete sentences and read short books by themselves. I will always cherish the memory of when Davina, one of my students who had been struggling to read, approached me and asked if we could read a storybook together. We read a short version of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” she read it fluently with my help on difficult words. Watching her shine in that moment made me feel emotional because she had worked hard and had come far. Before I quit teaching at that school, Davina made it a point to read to me every day, and I enjoyed it every time.
One of the things I enjoyed about teaching was assisting students who were struggling or not at the same level as their peers. Having been a student who faced similar challenges in the past, I knew how frustrating it could be to feel left behind in class. Therefore, I made it my priority to help my students in any way I could. I would print out extra worksheets, offer tutoring during my lunch break, create innovative lesson plans to teach the same topic differently, and so on. My goal was to ensure that no student felt left behind or inferior because of their difficulty understanding the material. I was willing to go the extra mile, no matter how time-consuming or complicated the task was because it was rewarding to see the student improve and catch up with the rest of the class. With the proper guidance and support, students can achieve anything they set their minds to.
Teaching was a wonderful experience because I enjoyed working with colleagues who shared my passion for education. We would collaborate to develop learning materials and discuss ways to improve student performance, which helped me become a better teacher. Learning about different teaching methodologies was also an excellent opportunity, allowing me to explore alternative ways of teaching the same subjects. While teaching in South Korea, I had a colleague who greatly influenced my teaching style. We worked together during the pandemic, so we faced similar teaching struggles and administrative issues, which forced us to develop our ways of doing things. We collaborated frequently and ended up becoming good friends. This teacher taught me a lot about what it truly means to be an educator and to never compromise on your values in the classroom. I miss being able to collaborate with other educators in the field because it provides a different avenue of development that working alone simply doesn’t.
Teaching was more than just a job to me. It was a journey of self-discovery, professional development, and a commitment to positively impacting a small part of the world. Even though I eventually had to leave the profession to pursue other goals, it will always remain an integral part of my identity. My passion for teaching will never fade, even as I move on to different stages in my life.
Jelly Teacher Writes 