From graphic and web design to the classroom, one teacher reflects on finding her true vocation, nurturing young minds and returning to the school that once shaped her.
By Lisette Fernandes
Teaching came to me as a late vocation. My first chapter was in graphic and web design—a world of creativity and communication. Many of the skills honed in those years have followed me and found new expression in school: to think creatively, see possibilities, communicate ideas… but teaching has given me something greater – the joy of shaping lives.
I believe that everything has an ordained time. The right vocation may not arrive at the beginning of your journey, but it will find you along the way. Teaching found me late, but when it did, it didn’t feel like beginning a new career; it felt like uncovering a part of myself that had been waiting to grow.
Gardening is my hobby. As an avid gardener, I love to nurture a variety of plants and herbs in my little balcony garden and watch them flourish and flower. Being an educator gives me the same joy – we nurture, encourage, support, and get to watch children grow not just in knowledge but in character, confidence, and kindness.
I am especially grateful that this second chapter has brought me back to the very school where I was once a student. The school that helped shape me has given me the privilege of returning, of giving back. I truly feel like I’m returning a little of the light that was once given to me by helping our students find their own light and letting it shine.
Wishing all Teachers a very HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY!
(Lisette Fernandes is the coordinator at St. Joseph’s Convent International School, Bandra (W), Mumbai.)
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