For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jenny-Lind Poulin. I am the third child in a family with two incredible older brothers and loving, supportive parents.
I am currently almost finished my final year at Brock University. By the first week of June, I’ll be able to officially call myself a teacher! It has been a long (at many times stressful) journey that has led me to many new friendships and self-discoveries. My practical experiences in the field throughout my 5 years have reminded me of the rewards and happiness that can come with imparting knowledge and skills to others, while my courses at Brock have reminded me that there is much to know and it is not easy being a teacher.
Nearing the end of my post-secondary education, I am excited to begin a new chapter in my life. While most of the time I am scared (do I really need to go out into the real world now?), I am also eager to begin working with students and putting into practice the many strategies and techniques I have been taught. It is a competitive career, but when is it ever easy to get a job? A worthwhile job should be one you must fight for, one that makes you set goals and step outside of your comfort zone in order to get to where you want to be.
When my class was asked at the beginning of teacher’s college to raise a hand if we were interested in teaching abroad, both my hands remained in my lap. When I received the e-mail regarding the ESL AQ course that included teaching experience in China, I hit delete. So how did I end up here, writing a blog for that exact AQ course? I began to realize how absolutely incredible this experience could be. I have heard and seen in my own placements how important ESL instructors are in a school. This is especially true in culturally diverse schools where students with English as a first language are the minority. By taking this course, I will simultaneously be learning about English language learners and how to help them succeed in school as well as improving my own teaching strategies that could benefit any struggling student.
Then there’s the trip to China. What better way to reinforce the coursework than to travel to another country to teach English? This is the definition of praxis! I am looking forward to experiencing another culture while having the opportunity to work with eager young minds. This career requires its employees to step outside of their comfort zones, be flexible, and take any opportunity to gain practical experience; this, is how I ended up writing to you.
