Growing up in a small town with family and friends that never ventured far from home, to see and work around the world seemed like a far-fetched idea. However, while studying abroad in Ireland as an undergraduate student, I became afflicted with an appetite to discover and explore other cultures. Many call it the “travel bug,” and that little pest has pushed me to live on three different continents, visit more than ten countries, and most importantly, jumpstart my career.
In 2014, after I graduated with a bachelor's in communication studies, I had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise, but knew exactly how I wanted to spend all my available time - traveling! I did some research and quickly discovered that teaching English abroad was the best way to combine the skills I had developed with my passion for travel. So, I took a course to become TEFL certified and, less than six months later, found myself on a plane to a middle-of-nowhere mountainside town in South Korea. |
I worked at two village public schools in Hwacheon. I had never taught a day in my life, but for one year led 22 lessons per week teaching English to every student in grades K-6, with no curriculum and very little support. It was the hardest thing I had done, and the most dynamic and joyful work I had ever experienced. I was humbled by the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of students, and loved sharing our languages and cultures with one another.
For the first time in my life, I found my "dream job," the thing that everyone speaks of when we are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” all the way through, “Now, what are you going to do with that degree?” You know, that one job you're meant to have and destined to become and are supposed to instinctively recognize? Well, I actually found it. Teaching is my dream job, and all it took was to explore beyond familiar boundaries for me to stumble upon what I would consider to be the most fulfilling work in the world. Thanks, travel bug!
With this new discovery and passion for education, I returned from Korea and enrolled at SUNY Buffalo State, determined to get my master's degree and certification in childhood education and TESOL. I completed my student teaching experience at two International Baccalaureate (IB) Schools, one in my hometown of Buffalo, New York, and the other in the breathtaking city of Siena, Italy.
For the first time in my life, I found my "dream job," the thing that everyone speaks of when we are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” all the way through, “Now, what are you going to do with that degree?” You know, that one job you're meant to have and destined to become and are supposed to instinctively recognize? Well, I actually found it. Teaching is my dream job, and all it took was to explore beyond familiar boundaries for me to stumble upon what I would consider to be the most fulfilling work in the world. Thanks, travel bug!
With this new discovery and passion for education, I returned from Korea and enrolled at SUNY Buffalo State, determined to get my master's degree and certification in childhood education and TESOL. I completed my student teaching experience at two International Baccalaureate (IB) Schools, one in my hometown of Buffalo, New York, and the other in the breathtaking city of Siena, Italy.
Teaching in Siena fostered my drive to provide student autonomy and space for creativity in the classroom, as well as the flexible time and space for meaningful, collaborative and hands-on learning.
This experience further confirmed my aspiration to travel abroad, immerse in unfamiliar cultures, and teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. In between the international experiences I sought a way to fulfill my travel bug while at home by joining a summer program in Boston, Massachusetts where, for four years, I managed cultural excursions and taught English to adolescents from all over the world. Considering my well known love for international teaching, it it is of no surprise that my next adventure has lead me to Istanbul, Turkey. Today I am currently working at an International Baccalaureate school as a Grade 3 English teacher. I am still working to inspire, motivate and create meaningful learning experiences with my diverse group of students in Turkey. |