Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marcy Goeller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marcy , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

How did you learn to do what you do?
I finished college with a degree in Education. After college I was assigned to practice teaching for 6 months. Then I got a job in the Philippines teaching elementary and high school students. I learned a lot from other experienced teachers. I also made sure I attended a lot of workshops for early childhood education to teach pre-K and kindergarten. I really enjoyed these workshops as they provided me with a lot of great ideas for teaching and handling students and parents.

Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?
Coming to the United States, what I think could have helped the most would be classes on American culture and values. How American families live their lives and relate to one another is very different than in the Philippines. How they see the role of education and the relationship of the teacher to the students and parents. Also, within America there are very diverse cultures. Some value education and make sure their children do what needs to be done while others appear not to care or have the time to help their children. When you teach at a public school, you have children from many social economic backgrounds that make teaching challenging. I had to learn this by experience and that takes time.
What skills do you think were most essential?
The most important skill is the ability to deal with the children and parents in a positive way. Children especially you do not want to make them feel that their honest efforts are bad in any way, they just need to think differently or consider other factors. Although one would expect parents to be more mature about constructive criticism, you learn quickly that many need to be treated the same as children. The most important skill is providing growth in a positive way.

What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Having to handle parents with their children who have behavioral issues. Initially my Filipino English, could be an issue for others to understand me but, sometimes I had a hard time dealing with American parents who had different accents such as those from the Northeast like Boston, to those of the deep south like Mississippi. And in America you deal with many whose English is not their primary language like different levels of Spanish. The other obstacle is dealing with the different American cultures such as those that are very religious to those that are not, to those that care about getting their kids to college and those that are just waiting for their kids to finish High School so they will get out of the house. And then there are many from broken families that do not have a father and in America they may not have a lot of relatives nearby to help. My obstacles to deal with parents with different culture.
So what I did in order to solve these obstacles, I attended workshops or classes to improve my ability to understand their culture and their family background. And of course experience helps.

Marcy , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As one of eleven children I know the meaning of family. As a farmer’s daughter I know the meaning of hard work. As a survivor of Typhoid Fever I know the value of life. The struggles to afford to attend college, The physical and verbal abuse and the loss of two husbands to health issues, have tested my commitment to live a life that honors my family, my children. My years of award winning teaching have surrounded me with children who desperately need not only education but more importantly connection with their families. School is not a baby sitter, teachers are not family. I have assisted many students and worked with their parents to help increase their support of their children to encourage parents and teachers to make sure no child is left behind. Their involvement is key to the child’s success and progress of all communities. Paraphrasing Presidents John F. Kennedy, “ask not what your community can do for your child, ask what you can do for your child and their future community .”

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My family was very poor. I was the 11th child and my father died when I was seven months old. My mother raised us alone. We lived on a farm with no electricity or plumbing. I almost died of Typhoid Fever and a ruptured appendix. Because we could not afford medicine I had an ear drainage infection that I was teased/bullied until I finished high school. I managed to do well enough in school to get into college and first completed a two year secretarial program that gave me a good job and I met my first husband. Then I completed my bachelor’s degree in Education and Early Childhood education that allowed me to have a job I love and performed throughout my life. Only myself and one sister completed college.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I came to the US, it was difficult to get a good teaching job. I taught at private day care schools but the pay was too low to support my family, especially after my first husband sudenly died when I was in my early 30s. I took administrative jobs at medical facilities and real estate firms for a few years. I really wanted to get back into teaching and managed to do that and this led to a full time career for many years until my second husband had a stroke and I had to work part time and take care of him for five years until he passed away.

With my current husband, Tom, he is helping me with my childhood dream of being a model, participating in pageants, and helping with my advocacy, Increasing Parent/Teacher involvement with children, along with helping organizations generate funds for their charities.. I earned Mrs Tourism International USA September 2024 and have been working promoting; Women’s Empowerment to increase awareness of human trafficking, and abuse along with helping other organizations dealing with children abuse, cancer, poverty, medical help and the like.

Contact Info:

• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits

Headshot photo by Len Holifield
Formal headshot outfit by Kirsten Regalado Fashion