Three questions

I was asked by someone 3 questions that I want to ask to you.

1. Why should I teach in a high-need school?
2. The most important responsibility of a teacher is to ensure high academic achievement for all students. Describe a skill or ability that will help you fulfill this responsibility and provide an example of how you have effectively demonstrated this skill or ability in the past.
3. Describe a professional, personal or academic challenge you have overcome, and how that experience will contribute to your success as a teacher

But first, here is my answers to the three questions.

1. Why should I teach in a high-need school?

Education is a treasure. It empowers people. It is the best catalyst for change.
High-need students of high-need schools would benefit more in education. These students need the guidance of teachers notwithstanding the inspiration students could derive from the teachers. These students need education to transform their lives.
High-need students of high-need schools would require teachers with great conviction, high motivation and remarkable skill to educate and guide them for a better life, better future, better self.
Teachers like me have the tenacity to mold students of high-end schools.
Besides, teachers like me require more than inspiration to get satisfaction from our teaching. We need challenge to bring about our aspiration of using education to bring change and positive transformation to our students. We need a fertile ground to lay our eggs and nurture it to be a great eagle soaring high in the end. With all the volume of knowledge, insight and wisdom, we want to give or pass on those to the next generation.
High-end school is a fertile ground to execute the best teaching possible.
It would be an achievement of a life time.

2. The most important responsibility of a teacher is to ensure high academic achievement for all students. Describe a skill or ability that will help you fulfill this responsibility and provide an example of how you have effectively demonstrated this skill or ability in the past.

As an ESL teacher in particular, I have been very effective in analyzing the needs of my students and matching the needs with a require teaching acts. Which include among others:

- Assessing the student’s performance and development
- Amending the student’s negative references and problems
- Advising the student of his strength and weaknesses
- Analyzing the root of the problem of the student

Excellent teachers create excellent students. I am a product of those teachers who imparted their skills and knowledge effectively. And through the years I have learned that I cannot teach beyond what I know. The impartation of knowledge requires more than knowledge itself. It would be more effective if the teacher had an experience to impart.

Being an excellent student, I know what it takes to be one. And the way it was imparted to me, subtle and swift, I am imparting it to my students with the vision of making a better world through education.

Adherence to some principle governing one’s profession is another thing. If you are good because no one is means you are not good at all. Knowing this makes me try to improve myself more and always believe that there is another room for improvement each day. Humility in teaching gives me patience to teach.

3. Describe a professional, personal or academic challenge you have overcome, and how that experience will contribute to your success as a teacher.

When I was a Presidential Staff to the President of the Republic of the Philippines, I was surrounded by the most intelligent graduates of the most reputable universities in the Philippines and else where. I was thinking that I was the worst staff ever. And if I cannot equal them with intelligence, I will double my diligence. I believe that success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. I worked hard to deliver every assignment. I took it like a runner took every turns and hurtles. I was praised by superiors for every work well done but when I was told by my colleagues later on that they were inspired to work because of me, I was awed. My colleagues in the Office of the President told everyone how I worked hard so they should equal the effort. I succeeded and from then on, I was never afraid to take any challenge.
In fact, I took the challenge of ESL in the Philippines when I got into ESL teaching during its infancy. While teaching my students, I invested half of my pay to the research on how to teach ESL students better. I did not stand to the challenge of the limited resources we have in terms of teaching English. It might at times too costly for me but I tighten my belt to afford any facility that might help me teach better.

After that, I shared all my knowledge for free to the other Filipino teachers.
This road I took was not easy, as a matter of fact, I believe there is no easy way to success but I am willing to run the race that was set before me.

No mountain high enough, no river deep to anyone who is willing to help.