Who am i? Surviving the battle of the roles

[Excerpt] You and I are not that different. We have multiple roles that may conflict with each other as we study, teach, and live. This chapter is for those postgraduate students who work in the primary and secondary teaching profession. I will share knowledge that I have gained from my postgraduate experiences to inspire school teachers who are considering embarking on a journey of postgraduate studies. I want to reassure you that you can be successful in your postgraduate aspirations and goals. Teachers are not the only ones juggling multiple roles during their studies. Ultimately, this same advice is of use to all postgraduate students.

In this chapter, I talk about three conflicting roles. These roles are: professional, academic and maternal. I have an academic role, being a PhD student. As a PhD student I am striving to complete my research and publish my thesis. Additionally, I have a professional role, being a school teacher with over fifteen years of teaching experiences ranging from early childhood to secondary school. As a teacher my responsibilities include: meeting my students’ needs, and planning and implement teaching and learning in safe, inclusive, and supportive environments. I also have a maternal role. My role as a mother is to support the physical, mental, emotional, cognitive and social developmental needs of my two sons. I often find it difficult to perfectly and simultaneously fill the expectations of these roles.