𝐌𝐘 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 #𝟏𝟓: 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐜 𝐆𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠 🌱📚

Từ một cô sinh viên ngành kinh doanh từng khẳng định “dạy học sẽ là công việc cuối cùng tôi làm trong đời” đến một người thầy tận tâm với khát khao thu hẹp khoảng cách giáo dục, hành trình của cô là minh chứng cho việc đôi khi, những ước mơ tuổi thơ ta tưởng đã quên lãng lại có cách để tìm về theo những cách không ngờ tới. Và quan trọng hơn cả, đó là câu chuyện về việc làm thế nào để biến những thử thách thành cơ hội, để từ đó kiến tạo nên những giá trị tích cực cho cộng đồng.

 Xem toàn bộ bài viết: https://bit.ly/3OtpTak


When mom insisted that I apply for an English teaching major in a university near home, I told her that it would be the last thing I’d do for a living. At the time, the thought of working as an English teacher never crossed my mind, though during my childhood and teenage years, I was known to be passionate and gifted in English with several prizes and awards, citywide and nationwide.
In my younger self’s observation, teaching seemed tedious. I believed that teachers kept imparting the same knowledge with the same lessons over the years, like the way ESL textbooks didn’t undergo much change back then. We all learned grammar from Mai Lan Huong, and the younger kids had “Let’s Go” lessons while older kids focused solely on the university entrance exam. The same grammatical points could be found in my English textbook in grade 8, then again in grade 12. And the class looked quite similar too, with students writing down grammatical points and vocabulary, completing written exercises and correcting mistakes 

As a fresh business graduate, I was about to land a Marketing job in Saigon before the pandemic broke out, leading to social distancing and layoffs. Having my CVs sent for other Marketing positions without any response, I came across a job advertisement of an online IELTS Teaching Assistant. I gave it a go, and turns out, the job was nothing near “tedious” and “repetitive” but required hard work, expertise and creativity. It takes expertise to plan lessons that deliver objectives, and a creative, quick-witted mind to execute the lessons with fun and engagement 

I went on a TESOL course to keep being eligible for the job. Frankly speaking, it was scary at first, given my lack of experience and also pedagogical foundation. Not everyone in the class was a novice teacher like I was, not to mention some quite experienced teachers and even managers in public and international schools, so the experience in TESOL class then both enlightened and humbled me 

I liked the way our trainer often asked us to play students, sometimes well-behaved and other times not quite well-adjusted, to demonstrate class management skills and also occasionally switched roles with us so that we can experience first-hand what it’s like to manage the classroom. He also told us to think outside of the textbook, despite the lesson planning tasks always revolving around a specific unit, and bring the language alive with interactive, communicative activities based on what I later knew as Bloom Taxonomy. The demo lessons that I observed and did were also different from my past experiences, with speaking practice and peer work involved, while teacher talking time was minimized 

Attending these lessons reminded me of myself as an elementary school child. My favorite teacher back then was an English teacher who I had extra classes with, and it was in her class where I first tried making a Christmas hat or a DIY card, following her instructions in English. Fun activities we did together made time seem to fly in this ESL class 

At one time in my childhood, I was intrigued by the idea of becoming a teacher and had so much fun being an imaginary one, using the back of my wooden wardrobe as a blackboard to write on with chalks, talking to imaginary students and showing them what I learned. The idea then faded as my adolescent years at school were filled with cramming vocab and grammar for exams, sparing little space for enjoyable learning experiences.
Finding interest and opportunities in the teaching field, that summer I also made a bold decision to decline job offers in Marketing, switching my career path and setting up my own online classes. Starting with tutoring sessions, I then moved to group and technology-aided classes. Alongside the class, I’ve also joined some other teacher training courses and shared English tips on social media sites, reaching 2000-3000 followers.
As a business graduate, I used to feel insecure and lack confidence to embark on a teaching journey, but the course I took two years ago did make a difference in how I approached teaching. Communicative approaches I’ve got to learn in TESOL have led me to help some students from small towns in Vietnam, who failed to comprehend and answer basic questions in English at first, now can achieve a 6.0 and above in IELTS Listening-Speaking 

Acknowledging different learning styles from the course, I’ve also explored more ways to teach vocabulary for kids, teenagers and adults with flexibility, fun and effectiveness. The biggest lesson though, is that creativity and differences can’t be made were it not for a solid foundation 

At the end of the day, the change I made in my career has led me back to the childhood dream once forgotten. In a way, I fulfilled the dream I had at the age of ten. But my mom’s still not satisfied, even when I’m now working as a teacher like she always wanted. Mom now tells me to open an English centre in Danang or work at a college/ university/ public school, as she believes that’s the indicator for a teacher’s sucess 

I, one more time in life, refuse to listen, as I know my ambition is to make a real difference, by offering online courses for students from different backgrounds to enjoy a learning environment where they are given the autonomy to speak their minds and where the use of English to communicate is encouraged. As I used to take both teacher-centered and student- centered classes, I know how a fun, engaging learning environment can do with students’ motivation and progress. And that is, in some way, a privilege not all can afford, especially those living in smaller towns and cities, so as a person working in education, I’d love to narrow the gap 

With what I gained from the TESOL course and experience in online education, hopefully positive differences can be made not only in the context of my classroom but also outside the class 

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