Are-Pee M. Castalon

Meet Are-Pee M. Castalon from the Philippines

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What has been your most memorable cultural experience so far?

It has always been my dream to be the best version of myself as a person and create memorable and life-changing experiences as a teacher. To teach here in the United States of America has been my game-changer experience in my personal life and professional growth so far. This is my third year as a cultural teacher exchange program participant, and I could say that one of my memorable cultural experiences is to get myself involved in one of our School Professional Developments as a “Presenter/Discussant” to share the training I have attended on “No-Nonsense Nurturer”. Doing a presentation is not new to me but to present in front of all English Speakers in school was one of my most challenging experiences but incredibly fulfilling. I considered that event memorable because I was able to experience speaking in a solid group of diverse teachers for the very first time in my whole life as a teacher and had the opportunity to share some best practices I’ve done when I was a teacher in my home-country, the Philippines. I couldn’t imagine that I would be experiencing such a thing and I feel like my school administrators recognized and appreciated my abilities as a teacher. I’ve been in the field of teaching for almost 14 years now and this teaching experience in the US is memorable to me as a Filipino teacher. It sounds like everyone else’s story but I’m so proud of it.

What has been your favorite part about living in the US?

Teaching here in the US has been so amazing since then. There’s a lot of beautiful things to note but my favorite part is to have the opportunity to support my family financially. It’s so fulfilling to see that your family has a simple life and better than yesterday. One more thing, I got a privilege to support myself for my higher education. The fact that I can support myself and my family back home is my most favorite part of living here. Moreover, I like the experience of attending out-of-state training. In my almost 3 years here, I have attended 2 national conferences in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Austin, Texas, and different professional developments in our district. These experiences are so cool because I get to explore, meet different people, and learn so many things about teaching and learning.

What has been your most challenging experience?

First, working with a new environment and people takes a lot of time to go through it. During my first year here in the US, especially the first 3 months, I did a lot of adjustments like I needed to start from scratch to learn everything and embrace what’s in here. I also experienced boredom because everything is way different from what I used to have back home like the people, medium of communication, food, transportation, and everything. It's quite challenging in the first place, but always bear in mind your reasons for working here in the United States. In terms of challenges in teaching, I would say that it depends on every teacher but as for me, my most challenging experience is my “Language Barrier”. English is not my first language and I’m not used to it in daily conversation back in the Philippines. For me, “Teach using English language” and “Communicate in English” are two different things. I find it easier to teach my students lessons using English than expressing my thoughts in English. I hope this makes sense, but I take it as a challenge to learn and improve my English-speaking skills. However, I am so happy because my school administrators and co-staff are very supportive of me. They help me to overcome those challenges and I can proudly say that as of this moment, everything is getting better.

Do you have tips for your fellow J-1 teachers?

To all fellow J-1 teachers, I would like to say that you are here in the United States for a reason, and I want you to thrive more to achieve your goals.

Working here is quite challenging but I believe that each one of us can do our job better despite our struggles each day. You only need to embrace your school environment and the people you are working with. Just do your job as best as possible and always build good connections with your students despite their diversity. Additionally, don’t limit yourself to opportunities to make a circle of friends with your co-staff, have a good rapport with students, and serve as a good team player in your host school. I know you are an amazing teacher with a lot of amazing things to share with them. One more thing, if there are opportunities that you can share your experiences in teaching, grab it and share those experiences because it’s one way of cultural exchange where you will learn and feel the sense of belongingness. Lastly, stay inspired and enjoy your teaching.

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