SONGS FOR TEACHERS: MY TEACHING LIFE PLAYLIST

If you could describe each year of your teaching life with a song, what would your playlist look like? After coming up with my list below, I realized mine is a mix of old and new upbeat tunes, plus a lot of feel-good and inspirational songs. These songs very well describe the experiences I’ve gone through all these years. Here are some songs for teachers like me and you:

2003: Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves

This was the year I graduated from college and got my first teaching job!

2004: The Climb by Miley Cyrus

This year was busy. I taught English and Journalism in my high school alma mater during the day and education subjects to college students at night.

2005: Fight Song by Rachel Platten

I left my high school alma mater and joined its rival school. I was still teaching college students on weekends.

2006: I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas

This was the year I was hired by the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS)! It was the first of three fulfilling years in the prestigious university’s laboratory school.

2007: Happy by Pharrell Williams

I was really happy with my teaching life in UPIS. Colleagues were actually my friends and students were very bright!

2008: Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

This was the year I got more confident as a teacher and as an individual.

2009: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

This was the year I gave up my teaching position in UPIS and decided to move to Australia.

2010: Born This Way by Lady Gaga

I realized how different I was to most of my new colleagues and students this year. I think this was one of the saddest years in my teaching career.

2011: Brave by Sara Bareilles

This year, I had the opportunity to become a tutor, a substitute teacher, a part-time ESL teacher and a full-time Kindergarten teacher in a new school!

2012: Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson

This was the year I married the love of my life and was transferred from Kindergarten to sixth grade. It’s also the year that I realized how great I could be as a teacher. I loved my sixth graders! I felt happy to be a teacher again.

2013: Just the Way You Are

I had sixth graders again this year and they were fantastic, too! I felt loved and I loved my kids as well. This was despite being sick for most of the year as I was pregnant with my child.

2014: Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole

This year, I spent the first half of the year on maternity leave. I also started getting serious with my TpT journey during this time. Being a mother was an absolute joy; however, I had to go back and teach again. This time, I had fourth graders. Though there were more kids in the class, their sweetness and enthusiasm made up for any difficulty I had with a bigger class size.

2015-2016: Roar by Katie Perry

These were the years when I embraced my “inner resource artiste”. I left teaching to become a full-time resource creator and to take care of my daughter.

2017-2018: Lego House by Ed Sheeran

When I decided to go back to the classroom in 2017, I did not know that it will also be the start of a couple of years where I will learn a lot about STEM, STEAM, and STREAM. These two years were key in shaping my interest on the niche that I enjoy creating resources for now. These two years were also great for reigniting my passion and love for teaching. See more of my STEM resources HERE.

2019: Flashlight by Jessie J.

This song is dedicated to my children and husband. I gave birth to my son late 2018 and I decided to stay home to take care of him. Having them in my life just made creating resources for teachers even more rewarding as I was (and still is) doing it to support my family. In return, they have been there for me through the ups and downs.

2020: Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys

I feel like this year is self-explanatory, but let me elaborate: in 2020, I found myself teaching on site and remotely at different times while having to be a mother to my children. It had been a difficult year with the pandemic, but I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish: I was a full-time teacher, a teacherpreneur, and a parent. Please know that I’m proud of you too.