o ini Sum us e the - St. Pius X Catholic High School

Emily DeLoach ’04
TEACHING ABROAD
I graduated from St. Pius X in 2004 and attended Flagler College in St.
Augustine, Fla. I graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in English
and communications. I enjoyed writing in college and wanted to be a journalist,
but I knew it would be hard to find a job in journalism. Teaching
English was my back up plan as I tried to prepare myself for the real
world.
The day I graduated from college, the front page of the local newspaper
read, “Flagler’s largest graduating class faces unstable economy.” Not
the most promising words for new graduates to read. I have always been
interested in travel, and I decided to find a job abroad. A friend of mine
Working in Thailand was very challenging. I taught at a public school with
over 3,000 students from 12 to 18 years old. My first semester I taught the
14-15 year-olds and the 17-18 year-olds. I enjoyed my job because I had
a few serious classes with excellent students and the others weren’t too
badly behaved. My company gave me a curriculum packet as a guideline
for what to teach. I tried to follow the topics but I had to adjust my lessons
for each class level. I had 21 different classes every week. Therefore, I
would only teach a class four or five times a month. With only four months
in a semester, it was very difficult to make much progress. Less than 30
percent of the school’s students go on to college.
Second semester was actually more difficult than the first. Including myself,
there were four foreign teachers at my school. Two of us were American
and two were Filipino. My boss wanted every teacher to teach every
class at the school. She devised a rotating schedule that gave us only a
month with each class. It was exhausting. When I finished in September, I
was burnt out and ready to move on. The best thing I got out of my second
semester was three great friends. We really leaned on each other when
times got tough. The people I’ve met traveling, understand me in ways
that people back home never will. We’ve shared such unique experiences
that will never be forgotten.
I spent the next two months traveling around Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore
and Australia. My goal was to find a job in Taiwan, by November. I
knew I wanted to say in Asia, and I felt like something was pushing me in
that direction. Finally in October, I got a job offer...working with kindergarteners
and elementary school students. I was nervous about the change,
but excited about the hours, pay and location.
I flew to Taiwan from Sydney, Australia on November 15 and started all
over again. I did not know anyone in Taiwan and I was nervous about
everything. It took a few weeks to get settled and more than a month for
me to feel comfortable. I live about an hour southeast of Taipei in Yilan
county. There is a good group of foreigners here, but it is a small county.
My eyes have been opened
to a whole world of possibilities.
moved to Thailand to teach English after graduation. I knew nothing about
Thailand, but after researching, I found it is very easy for Americans to
get teaching jobs there, and with my bachelors degree in English, I didn’t
have to get certified to teach. I took the first job that hired me, a Thai company
called Mediakids, and packed my bags. In October 2008, I headed
to Bangkok for orientation. I had no idea where I would be living or who
I would teach.
I spent a semester from October 2008 to March 2009 in Thailand. I lived
in a small town, north east of Bangkok, called Sikhiu. I could bike the
entire town in about an hour; it was tiny. My apartment was the size of
my bedroom in America. I had no kitchen, so I invested in a toaster oven
and an electric wok. Every weekend, I would take the bus into the nearest
city, Nakhon Ratashima, and visit with friends. I had many American
friends around the same age, but my favorite friends were a Welsh couple.
They were experienced travelers who helped support me when times were
tough.
Thailand’s public schools have very short semesters, and the next one
didn’t begin until May. I wanted to prove that I could last a full year, so I
signed up for another semester. In March, I spent a week in Bali and then
headed home. I was fortunate to be able to spend two months at home with
my family and friends. Most people back home were surprised that I chose
to teach another semester. I felt like four months was not long enough. I
also wanted to visit more countries in Asia.
I found an apartment by the beach. I drive a scooter fifteen minutes into
town for work every day. My school is very small and I get along with all
of the teachers. I am the only foreigner but I work closely with a Taiwanese
English teacher. We teach the same classes on different days in order
to re-enforce the lessons.
Taiwanese people are friendly and welcoming. I feel like I belong at my
school and my opinion matters. I am very lucky to have found such a wonderful
job. My boss considers me family and takes good care of me. I have
wonderful friends from all over the world. I could not ask for more!
Two years in Asia, away from home, is enough for now. My contract ends
in November and I will be heading home. I want to pursue teaching elementary
school in the States. I feel so blessed to have had these wonderful
experiences. Even though things weren’t always easy, I have become
a stronger, more patient, open minded person. I would recommend living
abroad to anyone. Teaching has proved to be more challenging than
I could have ever imagined. Teaching English as a foreign language, in a
country where you do not speak the native language, is beyond challenging.
It is hard for me to explain how difficult this job can be at times, but
how rewarding it is at the end of the day.
I have started two blogs. One blog is about Thailand and the other is about
my current life in Taiwan. My goal is to inspire others to follow their
dreams and step outside their comfort zones. My eyes have been opened
to a whole world of possibilities.
Around The Globe... 14