Leading is not easy. It takes courage, compassion, and humility to earn people’s trust, much less lead them. Aside from knowing how to lead, one must be competent in their field. When it comes to competency, there is no doubt that D-PREP International School’s Head of Teaching and Learning, Ms. Maricar Dorego, has it. 

Ms. Maricar has been working in D-PREP for about two years as of writing. Before she joined the school, she had over 20 years of experience teaching and working in schools in Thailand. 

Her career started as a librarian at the American School of Bangkok (ASB) Sukhumvit. She worked there for a few months before moving to ASB’s Green Valley branch, where she was a teacher librarian and taught students from various grade levels (Kindergarten to Grade 12) during library class. She also taught kindergarten students during summer school. 

After working in ASB, Ms. Maricar transferred to another school where she worked for 17 years as a homeroom teacher and eventually as a Literacy coordinator. 

During her teaching career, she grabbed every opportunity to learn different teaching methods and curriculums, including the Primary Years Program (PYP), which was what D-PREP’s School Director, Ms. Lady, was establishing.

“The first thing that attracted me to D-PREP is Ms. Lady’s vision. I sat in one of her orientations with parents and heard her speak about her vision for the school. That made me really think that I want to be a part of this,” Ms. Maricar said.

Aside from D-PREP’s clear vision, Ms. Maricar also loves how Ms. Lady is very involved in executing the school vision. Thailand did not have an experiential school then, so D-PREP’s unique teaching style was promising. When asked about her most unforgettable experience in the school, Ms. Maricar shared that it was the Who is Thailand project, where she taught the students to interview people and craft authentic, human stories from the data gathered. She also shared that she is proud to be part of a team implementing experiential learning. 

“We’ve never done something like this, where the students are more involved in their own learning, and that the students get to experience real-life situations and problems, then find out solutions to these problems. Being a part of that process is something I will never forget,” Ms. Maricar added. 

As the school’s head of teaching and learning, Ms. Maricar attends to many things. She monitors, develops, and ensures that the curriculum is of the highest standard possible. Ms. Maricar works with D-PREP’s teachers and takes the initiative in enhancing the students’ learning experience. When asked about her greatest accomplishment in D-PREP, Ms. Maricar said it was being able to work well with the teachers and staff.

“I think what helped me throughout the last year is my good relationship with the teachers. That’s something that I’m really proud of. In a working environment, it’s very important to gain the teachers’ trust. On my end, I also trust them because I know that they’re capable,” she shared. 

As a key member of the D-PREP’s leadership team, Ms. Maricar’s vision is to see the school grow. She believes in the power of experiential learning and wants to see the students become more capable and balanced, active lifelong learners. 

Do you have a message for the D-PREP community?

“I’m really honored and it’s really a pleasure to work at D-PREP. I think our students are really promising students. As the Head of Teaching and Learning, I would really try my best to deliver the curriculum so that the students will be able to learn from it and experience more so that they will be able to deliver too.”

You’ve been in Thailand for a long time. What do you like most about the country?

“What I love most about Thailand is the travel opportunity. I love going to beaches alone. This is the only place that I’m very comfortable with even if I’m traveling alone from one island to another and the people are just very welcoming. The cost of living is very affordable too.” 

What do you do during your free time?

“If I have free time, I would usually go out with my cousins and my family. I have a big family. I’m very close to my cousins because we basically grew up together.” 

Can you tell us an interesting fact about you?

“I like to travel alone. A lot of women are afraid to travel alone, but for me, that’s something that I enjoy a lot. I like my independence and the peace that comes with being able to listen to myself. I work with people constantly. I don’t have a lot of time to listen to myself, so every time there’s a holiday, I would always make a point to go somewhere by myself. That’s one of the times that I recharge.”