A Decade of Teaching

June 21st, 2008 by joansweetie
This is my tenth year of teaching in college. I started teaching in PUP in 1998 where my students was just a two years younger than me. I teach computer engineering subjects then. I was invited by my former department head Engr. Rafael Oquindo to teach in my alma mater PUP. I was a computer programmer/developer before I started teaching in PUP but as part of my work I also train newly hired programmer trainees in our company and had been a resource person on Information Technology on several seminars before teaching in PUP.

I guess I have the calling/passion for teaching. I love teaching, when I teach I forget everything, my problems, my worries and everything else in between. What matters are the lessons I would like my students to learn. What I would like to achieve now in teaching is to teach senior citizens, or adults who don’t believe that they can still learn to operate computers and I would like them to enjoy the benefits of the Internet. Maybe even teaching kids about computers would be fun.

As I celebrate my tenth year of teaching, I would have liked to teach on where it all started even for just once a week, but some circumstances did not allow me to teach there this semester. I have taken a leave of absence in PUP last semester to pursue my business and I have no regrets. I also started to teach in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina(PLMAR) last year and I teach there this semester for a few hours everyday and the rest of my time is devoted to my family and my online business.

As I look back these past ten years, I cherish the memories I have of PUP, my students who are also my friends that until now I have in contact with and my colleagues. I am what I am today because of the trainings I gained from teaching. I did not just teach, I also learned. I was taught about leadership and resourcefulness.

I would like to thank my mentor, Engr. Rafael Oquindo, who trained me to be proactive, independent, shared the joys of researching and believe that I can do things once I set my mind into it.

At present my priority is my family and my business. I do not know if I will go back to teaching full time but I am not closing my doors to any opportunities coming my way. There are several schools offering me teaching posts but as of now I would concentrate on my redesigning mylittlebaker(way overdue!) and my Christmas Product line.

PLMAR have become my new academic family, I love the camaraderie and the joys of teaching the school is giving me. I hope to share and contribute the skills I have to PLMAR.

For the past ten years I have devoted myself to teaching and loved every minute of it. Now I would like to give the same devotion to my business, I feel the time is right. I have to do this and when I give it my all I know I will succeed!

This is the inspirational quote I always keep in mind these days.

“ I deserve the best and the best is yet to come.”

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Yes Master!

June 9th, 2006 by joansweetie

That’s what my husband calls me these days, eversince I graduated last wednesday, May 10 with the degree of Master in Information Technology(MIT), all our conversations end with "Yes Master!".

I know it is his form of endearment and at the same time it tells me how proud he is of my achievement. Looking back I try to remember the reason on what made me pursue a masters degree, it started on 1999 I was still single then having taught for a year in PUP. The first reason I remember in taking up my masters was for professional advancement and my friends invited me to enroll so that we can be classmates.

My Stint in UP . . .

I first enrolled in UP in 1999 taking up Masters of Science in Computer Science, unfortunately I stayed there for only a semester, it was hard for me commuting to UP in the afternoons and going home at night on a rainy season, its difficult to get a ride in a jeepney and the school calendar is identical to the one where I am teaching. Imagine having to take you midterm exam at the same time your students are taking theirs? And your not present to supervise their exam. I decided to stop my studies after the semester since I was already becoming busy with my wedding preparations.

Looking back I realized that at that time I was not really serious in pursuing my masters and that I was not mature enough to accept being a student again and dedicate myself to really studying hard. I can also say that maybe at that time all I could think of was my wedding and about being in love.

After two years, I again took up my masters studies this time in PUP with the degree in Master of Science in Information Technology(MSIT). It took me a while to finish (five years to be exact) but for me it was a choice, I did not enroll during summers and I took a break for 2 semesters, one when I was pregnant and another when my son will be having his first birthday, I concentrated on his big day and did not want to risk failing my compre exam which was also on the same week. So I postponed taking my compre, and waited the next semester to take it. One regret I have though is not having my thesis, I realized that it will take time and money and I don’t have plenty of those.

Lesson Learned:

Taking up a masters degree made me who I am now

  1. I learned to be humble, I know that there are people that know more than I do and I have to respect and learn from them.
  2. As an individual we must always strive to learn new things, it does not matter if its not related to your field or work. (I enrolled in baking class this summer and it was great!)
  3. Always be ready to share your knowledge with others, what we know is a gift from God we can share to people to enrich their lives as well as your own.
  4. Be open to new ideas and discoveries. It helps to be always updated.
  5. Being in the IT industry means you have to keep up with the technology, learning is non stop if you don’t want to be left behind.

I know that having this degree people expect more of me, so what are my future plans?

For starters I plan to pursue my dream on having my own online business. Enjoying my family life. I would also like to try to have some corporate part time work. I miss being in the industry. At time point in my life career advancement would be an additional bonus.

A doctorate degree?

I still have plans to take a doctoralte degree Doctor in Business Adminstration perhaps but not right now. I want my husband to take a masters degree also, and I will be there to support him 100%. After he graduates then I will pursue my next degree and I also plan to take it abroad.

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