Why I Became A Teacher
My father was a renowned businessman. He succeeded with sheer determination and a sort of Midas touch when it came to matters of industry. Naturally, when I first went to University, I thought it would be a good fit for me to follow in his footsteps and take a course in Business Administration. I went home the day of my registration, expecting that my dad would be glad that I had chosen the course that I did. Instead, he sat me down and told me that he only took business because he was already working and he needed a boost in credentials. He was taking night classes while he toiled at work in the day only because he needed that document for when he would finally enter the business arena as a boss. He then continued to tell me that "business is common sense, son." This left me at a loss. I didn't know which area or skill I should develop. This led me to a path where I eventually gained an associate's degree in Information Technology from De La Salle, which has and always will be helpful. However, I knew that this technical field would support me, but not fulfill me.
By this time, I had been practicing as a public speaker, giving talks about development, growth, and wellness with Robert "Bob" Garon as my mentor, a former La Sallette priest, himself. Together, we went to various schools in the Philippines and to Malta to give a talk to the priests of the Missionary Society of St. Paul and the youth that they guided. Then, I went and gave a talk at a school run by the Franciscan Missionaries Sisters of the Infant Jesus, where they saw my potential in the academe. I had told them that I was looking for a field in which I could grow and they offered me a role in their school as Prefect of Discipline and Coordinator of Student Affairs. It made perfect sense to me, so I gladly accepted the role, which I filled for 2 years. In that time, I had somehow followed in my father's footsteps further, as I had a day job and finished my bachelor's degree in English in my spare time.
This led me to my career in the academe. I then became a teacher at Manresa School, which filled my heart with so much joy. There were days when I would be working with the children and with them, I'd found the joy and fulfillment that I had known. It was a fulfillment that would only lead to more of it when I became a father.
My dear father passed away a couple of years after I'd become a teacher and I had to be a good son and help my family with the business. This was my duty. With my focus on maintaining and stabilizing the family business, as well as caring for my newborn son and wife who'd just given birth, I had to stop the public speaking and teaching.
As you may have guessed, the passion I had for teaching never died. I was able to manage my family business to a point where we could manage matters remotely and focus on other projects so naturally, I went back to teaching as soon as I could. I have, since, taught at The Celtic School of English at Ciudad Jardin and at Oxinity and it has been a blast teaching Spanish children and adults the value of the English language and its impact on the world as we know it. And I'm going to be a teacher all my life, one way or another...