Behind every Filipino teacher working overseas is usually a departure that hurt more than anyone at the airport could see. For one Special Education teacher now based in Nevada, that departure came with a four-month-old daughter left behind in the Philippines—a goodbye that would shadow the first years of a career now spanning three countries and nearly a decade.
Daisy Dela Cruz Cayetano was that teacher, and the prayer she once whispered has taken her from classrooms in the Philippines to Thailand and, finally, to the United States. Today she teaches elementary Special Education at Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas – Cadence Campus in Henderson, Nevada, working with children whose learning needs demand more patience, more creativity, and more faith than most jobs ever ask for.
“Once, working abroad was nothing more than a silent prayer whispered to God,” she shares with TGFM. “Today, as I look back, I see how He turned that simple prayer into a journey of faith, purpose, and service across different countries.”
The goodbye that shaped everything
Ask most overseas Filipino workers about their hardest moment, and the answer rarely involves the job itself. For Daisy, it was the leaving.
“My daughter was only four months old when I accepted my first teaching position in Thailand,” she recalls. “As a mother, saying goodbye was heartbreaking. I missed many of her first milestones, and there were countless moments when homesickness and loneliness made me question if I had made the right decision.”
She stayed in Thailand for five years, teaching English, Art, and Physical Education to students from kindergarten through Grade 6. It was a stretch of time that tested her more as a mother than as an educator, and she is candid about how close she came to doubting the whole endeavor. What held her together was a mix of the practical and the spiritual—her husband’s steady support, her family’s encouragement back home, and a faith she returns to often in conversation.
“What kept me going was the hope of building a better future for my family,” she says. The Filipina teacher describes those early years abroad as difficult but formative, the kind of season that reshapes a person quietly. “Those difficult years shaped me into a stronger wife, mother, and educator, and they taught me that some of life’s greatest blessings come through perseverance and trust in God’s perfect timing.”
Finding a calling in the harder classrooms
There is a version of the overseas teaching story that ends comfortably—a stable post, a good salary, a routine. Daisy’s took a sharper turn. When she moved to the United States, she stepped into Special Education, one of the most demanding corners of the profession, where progress is measured in increments most people would overlook.
Her days now involve individualized instruction, building Individualized Education Programs, and coordinating closely with families and fellow educators to support students with a wide range of learning needs. It is detailed, often exhausting work, and she speaks about it with unmistakable affection.
“The most rewarding part of being a Special Education teacher is witnessing the progress of my students,” she says. “Every small achievement—whether it’s reading a new word, solving a math problem independently, or gaining confidence in the classroom—is a victory worth celebrating.”
The former English and Art teacher has picked up recognition along the way—she was named Coach of the Year by the Nevada Charter School Athletic Association and a Top 10 Finalist for the Most Outstanding Filipino-American Teacher Award by the Filipino American Educators of Nevada. But she is quick to redirect the spotlight away from the trophies.
“While I am grateful for these recognitions,” she says, “my greatest fulfillment comes from seeing my students gain confidence, overcome challenges, and discover their own potential.” For her, the classroom is not a stepping stone to something else. “Teaching is more than my profession—it is my calling and my way of serving others.”
Still learning, still reaching
Nearly ten years and three countries into her career, the Filipina educator shows no sign of settling. She is completing a Master of Arts in Education and Leadership Management, with an eye toward taking on greater leadership roles and mentoring other teachers.
“I believe that learning never stops,” she says. Her ambitions now stretch beyond her own classroom toward advocacy for inclusive education and support for the next generation of educators. “I also aspire to mentor fellow educators, share the knowledge and experiences I have gained throughout my journey, and continue making a positive impact in every school and community I become part of.”
For Filipinos weighing the same leap she took—the same painful airport goodbye—she offers advice grounded in her own experience rather than easy encouragement. “Working abroad is not easy,” she says plainly. “There will be moments of homesickness, uncertainty, and sacrifice. During those times, hold on to your purpose and never stop believing in yourself.”
She returns, as she often does, to faith and to the values she carried out of the Philippines. Stay humble. Keep learning. Manage your money wisely. Cherish your family. And measure success by something other than titles.
“Success is not measured only by titles or achievements,” she says, “but by the lives you touch, the character you build, and the faith you keep along the way.”
The daughter she once left as an infant is part of the better future she set out to build. The prayer she whispered years ago now looks less like a wish and more like a map—one she is still following, one classroom at a time.
