A Day In The Life Of A Spanish Teacher
According to Zip Recruiter (ziprecruiter.com), a Spanish teacher instructs students in courses that teach about the Spanish language, culture, and customs of Hispanophone countries. In this role, they develop lesson plans, assign coursework, grade assignments, and administer tests centered around the Spanish language. For Roseanne Allen, a Secondary Level Spanish Teacher, it is no different. In this episode of our What’s Your Career Video Series, she provides insight into the life of a secondary level Spanish teacher.
Qualities You Must Have to Become a Secondary Level Spanish Teacher
Every teacher should be of the understanding that each student has different learning abilities and are often at different levels in how they retain knowledge. Allen also emphasises the importance of patience, being calm and collected as a teacher who will have to work with different personalities.
How to Become a Secondary Level Spanish Teacher
Having a desire to become a teacher oftentimes means finding a college or university that is equipped to train you in the area. A degree in Secondary Teacher Education can last up to 4 years and is usually completed by what is called ‘Practicum’ which allows the young teacher to enter the classroom on a probationary level and for observation that they have learnt the teaching principles well and lastly for experience. Based on Allen’s experience while studying, she mentions that the tuition for a degree in Secondary Teacher Education may range as low as $1,500,000 in total and can be heavily supplemented with scholarships that are usually made available by various organizations such as the National Commercial Bank and Hanover Charities (a scholarship foundation specifically offering help to students from the parish of Hanover). Upon mentioning suitable subjects needed to enrol into a college to study Secondary Teacher Education, Roseanne Allen mentioned that there are no specific subjects that one will need, notwithstanding mandatory courses of English Language, Mathematics and Information Technology. She also shared that the subjects you need will be heavily based on the type of teacher you want to become.
Benefits of Being a Secondary Level Spanish Teacher
Allen mentions the sense of pride that comes with students grasping concepts and applying them successfully as one of the joys of a career in Secondary Education. Another benefit is developing trustworthy relationships with students and being seen as a figure of respect and authority. A common benefit for most teachers is the ability to grow and nurture the minds of our future generation of leaders.
One Challenge Associated With Being a Secondary Level Spanish Teacher
As many may expect, having to learn and appreciate the individual personalities of each student may be a challenge. All students are cultured differently and may carry varying views. Some students will struggle more than some considering that Spanish is not the first language of our culture. Allen mentions that the workload can oftentimes be demanding- from preparing lesson plans to spending adequate time to administer and acknowledge assignments. However, none of these should deter an individual from pursuing such a world-shaping career as she also recommends this career as a strong 7.5 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest.
Books You Can Read to Grow As a Secondary Level Spanish Teacher
There may not be a book that will adequately prepare one for the classroom as experiences will all vary. However, books versed in the art of leadership and counsel. Spanish tutoring books may also be a tremendous guide for young teachers or students with a desire to pursue a career in Secondary Teacher Education in Spanish.
Advice for Students
“I have been saying this, but I will say it again- You HAVE TO be patient! Not every student will be a fast learner or have the easiest personality to work with, but allow your temperament and your skill to work for you. Identify the uniqueness of each of your students and find creative ways to stimulate their minds. Spanish is not the first language of our culture, which makes it even more important to exercise patience.”
Watch the full interview here:
A Day in the Life of a Journalist
When it comes to journalism, one can expect a lot of writing and reporting. Dontae Matthews, an experienced Journalist, mentions that it is much more than just writing and reporting. In fact, he wears the hat of writer, producer and presenter/ broadcast journalist at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS). According to Career Explorer, a journalist investigates, collects, and presents information as a news story. This can be presented through newspapers, magazines, radio, television and any other communication channel. Similar to Law, Teaching or Medicine, there are different categories of Journalism that one can choose based on their area of interest such as a Sports Journalist, Entertainment Journalist, Investigative Journalist, Political Journalist or other.
Qualities You Must Have to Become a Journalist
As one can imagine, to become a journalist, you must be a lover of writing and oftentimes speech and diction. Dontae Matthews also points out that you must be a people person. This means you must enjoy interacting with others notwithstanding age, race, gender or class. He adds that one will need to love researching and asking a lot of questions as those skills are crucial in getting the job done.
How to Become a Journalist
English courses are pertinent in pursuing a career in journalism so Matthews advises students to pay attention to courses such as English Language, English Literature, Information Technology and History from the high school level. After high school, one must move on to pursue a 3-4 year degree programme in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Journalism. This degree may cost between 1-2 million Jamaican dollars across universities in Jamaica but can be supplemented by several scholarship opportunities available based on the university of choice.
Benefits of Being a Journalist
Since a career in Journalism requires a lot of interaction, it comes as no surprise that Matthew’s highlight of a benefit comes under the ability to meet and greet persons from all walks of life which presents a great networking opportunity. He also adds that the joy of telling someone’s story is indescribable.
One Challenge Associated With Being a Journalist
There are a few challenges associated with this career path, but the most distinct is working with sources. Writing a story requires working with sources. Sources are persons who have first-hand access to the topic, be it a witness or an authoritative figure. Each story needs to have sources to increase its importance and credibility; however, sources do not always co-operate or make themselves available to be interviewed.
Books You Can Read to Grow as a Journalist
To gain knowledge about a career in Journalism, Matthews encourages reading books about the fundamentals of writing, investigative journalism and most importantly the newspapers! As a Journalist, it helps to be socially aware as that may help your ability to write and follow up on stories.
Advice for Students
“Do not give up on your studies. Continue reading, studying and discover your WHY. Ensure journalism is something you love and your qualities fit well within what is required. Even if you do not match the profile, remember, you can always work on yourself. Don’t count yourself out. You are more than capable.”
Watch the full interview here: What s Your Career Video Series – Journalist – Dontae Matthews
A Day in the Life of a Social Entrepreneur
When it comes on to careers, we have all heard about entrepreneurship- what it means and what it entails. A few of us may know of an entrepreneur or are even entrepreneurs ourselves! Generally coined the “risk takers” of society due to the nature of their work arrangement, an entrepreneur takes the risk of creating his/her own business and in turn enjoys maximum rewards. The question then is, what makes a social entrepreneur different from a regular Entrepreneur? Are they even different? In this edition, we will zoom in on Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profit Management.
Episode 1 of our recently launched, What’s Your Career Video Series features Social Entrepreneur, Lanisia Rhoden who vividly breaks down the term, social entrepreneur. She explains it to be a mixture of non-profit management with business. Currently, she leads the social enterprise, Link Your Purpose which is an online career development platform and business, focused on helping young people achieve their career goals. She mentions that generated revenue/profit will go back into the organization for development and also to her non-profit organization, Young Women and Men of Purpose (YWOP/YMOP) in which she assumes the role of Non-profit Manager, as a way of preserving efforts. Lanisia relies heavily on business principles to successfully run the social enterprise.
Qualities You Must Have to Become a Social Entrepreneur
Naturally, you must be a willing risk taker. Bearing the title of entrepreneur as mentioned above, will mean the inclusion of risks as you create your own opportunities. Leadership is key and as a high schooler, you can develop your leadership skills by engaging in clubs, extra-curricular activities, and taking up leadership positions in school. You must be driven by impact and social change and have a natural desire to help those around you and learn to exercise compassion towards all. Team building and how you relate to others are key areas that will boost efficiency and lastly, you must be persistent. Things will not always go according to plan, but you should always think like a business owner!
How to Become a Social Entrepreneur/ Non- profit Manager
Lanisia mentioned that there is no straight path to this career but she advises taking up a course in Entrepreneurship that will give insight on how to start-up and manage a business. She also encourages people to look out for short courses in Non-profit Management, Development and Entrepreneurship studies. For students at the secondary level, you will need core subjects such as Mathematics, English Language, Business and Accounting. A second language is also important.
Benefits of Being a Social Entrepreneur/Non-profit Manager
The benefits of being a Social Entrepreneur/Non-profit Manager includes the opportunity to meet new people and travel the world. Lanisia, who has travelled to over 16 countries because of her career choice, also emphasized the importance of being a ‘people person’ and possessing a genuine interest in creating change in society which are qualities that will better boost the enjoyment and fulfilment of such a career.
One Challenge Associated With Being a Social Entrepreneur/Non-profit Manager
Founder’s Block. As one can expect, having a start-up business may often mean one person playing all roles within the organization, but as time passes, your team will grow and delegation becomes a must.
Books You Can Read to Grow as a Social Entrepreneur
Meanwhile there is no set approach to this career, you may enjoy books from John Maxwell which are leadership and personal development based. Another good option is Scaling which guides you in the process of starting and growing a business. Start reading books on topics such as how to be organized, planning, books focused on a positive mindset, becoming an entrepreneur and just about any information you can get in general.
Advice for Students
“If you are interested in a career in Social Entrepreneurship or Non-profit, go for it! Be sure to get a mentor. Use the information provided to discover more and begin. Choose subjects that will help you in high school and if you are entering university, look into development and entrepreneurship programmes and most importantly, get experience by volunteering with a Non-profit organization as you study.”- Lanisia Rhoden, Social Entrepreneur and Non-profit Manager.
Watch the full interview below!