Exploring the First-year Journey of Elementary Education Graduates of the Pandemic Era

Abstract

One of the most fulfilling jobs that one may consider is teaching. In teaching, one can provide today’s youth with the knowledge that would lead them to a better and brighter future. The teacher’s potential to influence, change, and push them to give their optimum capacity would be the legacy that they could leave among the learners entrusted to them. The researcher explored on the experiences of the graduates of the Bachelor of Elementary Education program relative to their initial teaching experiences. This is a qualitative paper that employed a descriptive approach in exploring the experiences of the graduates as they have indulged themselves in the teaching profession. Seven (7) informants were involved in the study. These informants were the ones who started their teaching career right after graduation. Interview guide questions were crafted, and informants were given a chance to give their views regarding their initial teaching experiences. Four overarching themes emerged in the course of the study; and these were the descriptions of the informants in their initial teaching experience after graduation, challenges encountered by the informants in their initial teaching experience, coping practices employed by the informants in dealing with these encountered challenges, and insights of the informants on the significance of receiving awards and motivation in their initial teaching experience. The findings of the study will have an impact on the sustainability of the good performance of the program in the college.