A TALK WITH ANDREW TAYLOR

TESL ONTARIO INTERVIEWS

ANDREW TAYLOR, November 2012

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TESL stands for Teachers of English as a Second Language. TESL Ontario is tasked by the provincial government to certify the ESL and LINC Teachers before they are eligible to teach in the classroom.

1.  What motivates you, Andrew?

For me, teaching is not a job; it is a vocation.  Teaching gives me a great opportunity to serve people and make a positive contribution to their lives.  I have impeccable compassion for the immigrants especially the newcomers to Canada.  My mother was from the Philippines and my wife is originally from the former Republic of South Vietnam.  With my background and experience, I believe that I basically understand the challenges that the immigrants are facing in Canada, and I am committed to doing everything in my power to make things easy for them.   

 

My students embrace who I am and they understand that what I am doing is for their own benefits.  Every time I walk into the classroom and see the glow in the eyes of my students, I am truly energized.  Every time my students say good bye to me after class with the smiles on their faces, it gives me a reason to serve them better the following day.  I am truly inspired knowing that, we, people are more similar than we are different, and I focus on our similarities and embrace our differences.  I love my vocation as a teacher.  It is a joy and privilege to serve and make a difference in the lives of the immigrants.

2.  What is your educational philosophy?
I strongly believe that each student deserves a safe, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which they can grow and advance intellectually, emotionally, and socially.  To help my students achieve their fullest potential is my ultimate goal.  I will make sure that I can provide an environment that is secure, respectful and positive.  That is an environment that supports risk-taking, and promotes a sense of cooperation, but at the same time fun and family-like.

 

3.  Are there any best teaching tips you want to share?
I don’t know if these are best teaching tips but I will share them anyway.  (1.) Do not hesitate to regularly inject humor into your teaching.  (2.) Always affirm and validate your students and treat them with respect and compassion.  (3.) When the students make mistakes, offer them suggestions not criticism.  (4.)  Show them that you trust them, that you believe in their potentials.  (5.) And finally, outside of the classroom, do what makes you happy.  If you’re happy outside of the classroom, you will bring that energy back into the classroom.  In other words, if you want your students to be motivated, you have to take time to motivate yourself first.

4.  Describe the first five minutes in your class.
I start by greeting the students.  I make sure that I have a sincere smile on my face.  I always make eye contact with every one and I move around the classroom while asking “How are you?”  “How are you doing?”  “Did you have a good weekend?”  “How was your weekend?”  “How was your day yesterday?”  “What did you eat for breakfast?”  “How did you get to school this morning?”  “How was the traffic on your way to school?”  Then I’ll tell them a short story about my night, my morning commute, what I ate for breakfast, and some good news about current events that I feel are important for them to know.  Then I will proceed with a short pronunciation drill, a jazz chant or tongue twisters to warm up or energize the students.   Then the review of the old lessons will immediately follow.

5.  What else would you share about yourself?

I am not just an English teacher.  I’m also a singer, an actor, a stage director, a poet, and a dancer.  I use the classroom as a venue or a stage to educate, inspire, and entertain other people, and my students are my satisfied audience.  I believe in putting other people first.  I wake up everyday, knowing that I am privileged to have the opportunity to make a lasting impression on other people’s lives.

Andrew Aaron Taylor
Orange County, California

(January 2, 2012)

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An Open Letter from Tuyet

I read through your entire blog. You brought back so many memories. I was in tears, due to both happiness and sadness while reading your blog entries. Unfortunately I was never one of your students, but I remember you as Teacher Andrew. You were so tall and skinny, always happy. I used to peek through the class window while you were teaching and wished I were in your class. I was in Palawan from 1988-1991. I was 15 when I got to the camp, as an unaccompanied minor.

I can't believe you keep in touch with so many people and remember their names so well! I am so sad to have lost contact and forgotten the names of so many friends there. I am not sure why I even write this to you...I guess I am just so grateful that you have this blog. I was googling for "Vietnamese Refugee Camp in Palawan", thinking I would get a Wiki page to send it to my friend, who is interested in knowing which refugee camp I stayed at. Sadly I couldn't find any "official" site describing the history of the refugee camp in Palawan. But I found your blog among with some others. I spent the last 4 hours reading your blog.

Anyhow, thank you for touching so many lives. It seems you were/are so loved, and I can't help but loving you for that :-). Take care and please post more! I will be checking back!

Tuyet

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A TRIBUTE TO PALAWAN

The Nation's Last Frontier

 

Unclimbed mountains, virgin forests...
so rugged, so remote... so dense;

So wild and so tranquil until suddenly awaken
by the thunder of breakers.
Oh sweet Palawan..., our native land, 
the Nation's Last Frontier!

Oh rivers, great and small,

vivid and serene...
Wild and yet so peaceful... oh so tamed
The sweet smell of the sea of fish and salt air;

The fragrance
of dainty-colored wild santan blossoms;
In summer sky,
the reedy cry of wheeling gulls.

Oh rattling bamboo trees
melodious and unique;
The seabirds
glide above the gorgeous Ursula Island,
As the raucous colony of sea turtles
below they watch.

Be fascinated by the impeccable beauty
of Tubbataha Reefs;
Be mesmerized as you watch
the ethereal cliffs of El Nido;

 

Be mystified as you tour
the mysterious Underground River;
Be tantalized by the pearly-white beaches
on Honda Bay;

 

 Dream again as you see
the crystal-clear Nagtabon beach;
Feel like a baby as you watch
the frolicking mousedeer beneath Balsahan Hills;

Have a reviting feeling
as you enter the gigantic Tabon Cave,
where the world's biggest pearl was found.

Savor the delectable milky sweet taste
of young coconuts;
Enjoy the exquisite scent
of the budding rice and corn in the fields;
Applaud the racing crabs and parading blue lobsters;

Dance with the multi-colored fish
that glides and leaps;
And in the summer,
sing with the warbling Maya birds.

 

Admire the towering steeples
of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral

The Holy Trinity University
in the heart of Puerto Princesa brings nostalgia;

 

Celebrate with the eternally hospitable
and friendly citizens of Palawan!

All these contribute
to making the province second to none.
Beloved Palawan, 
our dearest sweet homeland. 

  Poem written by Andrew Taylor
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The Snake Island, Honda Bay Palawan

The splendid Snake Island is very close to Viet Ville.

The Snake Island is on Honda Bay in the city of Puerto Princesa. It is accessible by motor boat from Santa Lourdes Wharf. It doesn't cost you a penny to use the island, but the motor boat will cost you approximately $40 US each, and can accommodate 12 to 14 people.

This is the map of Palawan.

The aerial view of Snake Island. Does it look like a snake? Spectacular!
It's me, the third from the left, when I visited the Snake Island in August 2008.