Life is a beautiful journey of growth and change.

In this post, I share my recent experiences moving from an international school back to Taiwan, the unexpected path my teaching career has taken, and how embracing challenges has transformed my perspective. Discover the power of resilience and the beauty in every encounter.

Grateful for Every Encounter, Embracing Every Turn

Each time I arrive at a transition period in life, I like to take some time to reflect on what has happened and how I've learned from it.

This June, I concluded my teaching position at an international school, deciding to give myself a much-needed period of reflection. Moving back to Taiwan for a while has been the most regret-free decision I've made after six years in Mexico. And finding this teaching job after returning to Taiwan was the most correct choice I've made during this time.

I remember back when I was so confident, I felt life was like constantly searching for driftwood in the ocean, taking one step at a time until I found a place to settle.

But in recent years, as my inner strength has grown,

I've firmly believed that "everything works out for my good."

When good things happen, it means efforts have paid off, and I should enjoy them.

When challenges arise, they simply represent an uphill climb or life doing some clearing, preparing for the next chapter.

I suppose this might be what the older generation refers to as "energy."

There's a saying in English I particularly like: "We all met for a reason. Either a blessing or a lesson."

The people we encounter in life, whether good or bad, are all part of the most beautiful arrangement. Perhaps, that's why we met.

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A Teacher, Also a Student: Unexpected Journeys in Education

My career path seems inextricably linked to the keyword "teacher." While I've always appeared in everyone's eyes as an educator, my teaching career hasn't followed the conventional path (university graduation - teaching practicum - full-time school position).

After obtaining my teaching certificate and completing my practicum in late 2019, I embarked on my journey teaching Chinese as a foreign language in 2020. The astute among you might already recall what happened globally in 2019 – that's right, COVID-19.

Just two months after arriving in Mexico, COVID-19 spread to Latin America in February 2020. Schools closed, classes were suspended, and then shifted to online instruction. Throughout the more than three years of the pandemic, I continued teaching at a school in Mexico, then served as a Chinese lecturer for an Indian university (while still in Mexico, teaching online courses). I also took on private online students and later taught at various schools and language centers. It felt like all the "expected" work experiences I should have had, I didn't, but all the "unexpected" ones, I got to experience them all! 😂 After the pandemic ended, by chance, I found a job at a tech company, so I didn't continue as a full-time Chinese teacher.

However, after returning to Taiwan, I finally got the work experience I had always needed but hadn't had the chance to acquire. During these six months at the international school, I was both a "teacher" and a "student." I systematically went through all aspects of teacher-student collaboration, inter-teacher communication, and cooperation in a school setting, as well as school-wide activities. This included classroom procedures, school meetings, event organization, general school administration, academic affairs, classroom management, and more. I learned much more than I had imagined.

While I probably didn't do everything perfectly (it honestly felt a bit beyond an i+1 Principal's level, maybe more like i+5! 😂), and many tasks felt unfamiliar and rushed due to my lack of experience, I still learned a great deal. This knowledge has been incredibly helpful in empowering my next steps, so I can only express my gratitude to the school for supporting my growth and say sorry for any shortcomings. Hahaha.

I genuinely hope the next teacher will be a long-term, collaborative teammate for the school.

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Gratitude for This Journey of Growth

The school decided to have me as their temporary teammate midway through a semester, and this experience allowed me to learn:

• Teaching Methodologies: Understanding the differences in teaching approaches and scope for World Language (CSL) versus First Language teaching after returning to Taiwan.

• Cultural Insights: Discovering the inherent dispositions and subtle concerns of American and Mexican children compared to Taiwanese children.

• Rapid Adaptation: Quickly adjusting to the Taiwanese living environment, habits, and social circles.

• Team Collaboration: After a long period of independent and online work, rapidly learning to engage in close team collaboration and communication.

Thank you for this journey of growth!