Susan Jaluag: Philippines
"Life begins with VIF."
Susan Jaluag is a VIF teacher from the Philippines. She is an elementary school teacher at Upchurch Elementary in the Hoke County Schools in North Carolina. Here, she discusses some of the challenges she faced upon first arriving in the United States - and the many more successes she's experienced.
Do you know the expression "Life begins at 40"? With a slight modification, that expression perfectly describes my experience with VIF. My life took a different turn when I decided to apply to work in the USA with VIF and as I passed all the stages the application process. I remember checking my email every day to see if I had an email from VIF.
When I arrived in the U.S., I had to adjust to classroom management in the United States. To make the adjustment, I watched what my American colleagues did. I did research and read books about classroom management. As a result, I learned to implement rules consistently, with consequences and rewards and to explain and model procedures, and I enjoyed each day with my students.
In the United States, I try to attend professional development workshops whenever I can. During one of the workshops I attended, I learned about educational philosophies and about using technology in the classroom. Attending these workshops has helped me see what I can contribute to my fellow teachers when I return to the Philippines. I can share tools, strategies and techniques to help children learn better. I can encourage more instructional time and activities that will engage children. These are the things I hope to take back with me when I return to the Philippines.
As a VIF teacher, I have interacted with and related to many different kinds of people. I have students from many different backgrounds. I have friends from Australia, Jamaica, South Africa, Chile and Canada. In the United States, I have had some amazing travel adventures! I have seen Hollywood in Los Angles; visited the Statue of Liberty in New York City; picked apples in Upstate New York; saw Shamu in Sea World; basked in the cool breeze of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; saw beavers in Portland, Oregon; and more.
And that's why, for me, "Life begins with VIF."