When I was teaching back in the city, everything seems to be very easy. All the things I need is there. If I want a new material as long as I have the money I can always buy it. In the city informations seems to be there waiting for you to take it. It feels like everything is for the taking.
When I moved back in the country, I felt like I was a neophyte teacher though I had been teaching in the city for quite a long while. Everything I took for granted in the city is so difficult to have in the country side. Everything I knew has to be changed to adapt my new environment and that is quite unnerving to do and of course you got to do it fast.
First adjustment that got me is on the materials to be used in the work. I am very specific of the material I use but when I was in the countryside I have to learn how to see an ordinary object with an extra creative eye. Maybe an ordinary stick can be used for something in the classroom in substitute for the material that is readily available in the city but seems to be non-existent in the countryside.
Second adjustment is on the internet. Well, I’m a bit of a tech-savvy person and I have the habit of self-teaching and learning new information from the net which I know most or all teachers do. When I was in the country side, I felt like I was left out and laid back for at least Five years or more. Though I have mobile internet, the speed and occasional data usage from the network makes you miss home. To update yourself, you got to be Patient and think of a creative way of getting information, like asking other people and going to the library.
The third and most difficult adjustment I had is with my pupils. In the city, pupils are quite advance in a lot of things. In the countryside I have to explain everything in details and must be very patient as children in the country side have the propensity to laugh at new things they taught is weird. I also have to teach myself in simplifying things which I thought was simple to the city children’s eye.
As a teacher, I am so blessed to experience the best of both worlds. It had made me practice what I always preach on my article and vlog like flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to learn fast. Aside from that it made me give more respect to our fellow teachers at the countryside. They are well-equipped and well prepared with less material. They can create a something from nothing. So when you’re feeling down and you need a motivation, remember that there are teachers in the countryside making a difference without the luxury that we have in the city.#
