Nicole Magno

1. Tell us about your current position and what you do?
I am currently living and working in Singapore at one of their oldest and best Junior Colleges, Raffles Institution. I’m part of the Knowledge Skills (KS) department and teach a class called General Paper (GP) which focuses on argumentative writing, critical reading, and current issues both local and global. It’s a challenging course where I’ve covered a range of topics from the Ebola crisis in South Africa to the influence of the media to the beauty and usefulness of maths — a topic that was an exciting if odd journey for an English Literature major. Outside of the classroom, I provide leadership guidance as the teacher in charge for the Raffles’s public speaking club, Gavel, and I am a teacher mentor overseeing the academic progress of the school’s international students.

2. What are some past jobs/positions you have held?
From 2013 to 2014, I was a fellow for Princeton in Asia (PiA), a non-profit organization sponsored by Princeton University. The organization sends its fellows to different service sites across Asia, many of which are teaching positions. I was sent to Dalian, China as a lecturer at Dalian University of Technology where I taught Public Speaking and World Literature for a year to a total of 160 students. The range of their English proficiency was wide so much of the World Literature part focused on short stories, fairy tales, and poetry.

During my graduate year at TCNJ, I worked as the English department’s graduate assistant while teaching at Bucks County Community College.

3. Were there any particular TCNJ courses/internships that helped jump-start your career?
The teaching experience that I acquired during the TCNJ courses helped me not only get my present job, but also made me question if teaching was a career I wanted to pursue and, if it was a career, which environment would I be better suited within. Facing these doubts and the difficulties of being a teacher – both emotional and professional – makes one realize that one’s conviction as a teacher needs to be stronger than the emotions felt on a good or bad day. One of the most meaningful courses was student teaching especially at the end of the year when we were asked to reflect on our three values as a teacher and how we carried out those values in the classrooms.

I also found teaching at Bucks County Community College valuable to my career as well since it exposed me to a diverse range of students. My class ranged from fresh high school graduates to mothers who wished to continue their education. As a teacher, I had to remain flexible to the different needs and challenges of my students which not only concerned their writing skills but their well-being outside of school as well. This skill served me later when I began traveling abroad and I had to negotiate the cultural differences between my students and me.

4. What are your favorite memories of your time at TCNJ?

TCNJ, although relatively small, was an intimate community and that warmth was embodied by the English department. One of my most favorite memories was being able to walk into the professors’ office (if the door was opened) and being welcomed into a conversation about literature. As a student then, such genuine eagerness to discuss everything from children’s books about drugs to Dante’s Inferno solidified my love for reading and writing. I also received a wonderful, ever-expanding list of books to read. As a teacher now, who strictly asks for a day’s advance notice for one-on-one consultations, I appreciate the time taken out of an educator’s busy schedule for such impromptu conversations. It is also an intimacy I am trying to foster at a school where, on a given day, there are at least 4500 people moving about the grounds.

I was heavily involved with the Asian American Association during my time at TCNJ and my activities with the club involve fond memories and friendships that have stayed with me for 8 years now.

5. Do you have any advice for current TCNJ students trying to break into teaching?

I took a route that was out of the norm since my first years of teaching have been in Asia. I decided to take the risk so that I can be exposed, and thus evaluate, the different systems of education. Traveling and teaching is not something that you have to do to do this, especially since there is a current shortage of teachers in America. Even my travels have the end goal of eventually returning to America to bring back what I have learned abroad, but definitely take any opportunities available to you to deepen or broaden your teaching craft. I love teaching because it motivates me to keep learning.

For teachers going through their first year teaching at a school, some advice:

a. Ask a lot of questions from teaching to formal procedures and logistics.

b. Being a teacher requires a lot of hat swapping that involves not only teaching, but also leading and mentoring. Some days, students will require nurturing and understanding. Other days, students will need discipline and a good scolding about why they’re late and how such behavior is disrespectful.  Teaching is exciting because you have to be able to adapt sometimes on the spot.

c. Take care of yourself. I told my students that they were unable to contact me after 5:30 pm or on the weekends or else they would not have a GP teacher. Set up appropriate boundaries (for yourself) and barriers (between you and your students) so that you have time to rejuvenate.

d. Be confident in what you know, and when you don’t know, ask questions.