Corresponding author: sheineadrian23@gmail.com
Using a qualitative case design, we examined how two mid-life Filipino public-school teachers balance professional duty and personal growth. In-depth interviews, contextual observations, and demographic reviews captured the experiences of Ms. Mary Ann C. Tuazon (42, married, mother of three) and Mr. Jommel P. Roque (40, single). Both show strong generativity—investing in students and community—yet report emotional fatigue, identity reassessment, and desires for reinvention. Tuazon juggles caregiving with a deferred dream of medical school, while Roque weighs family expectations against career ambitions and self-care. Their stories echo Erikson’s Generativity-versus-Stagnation and Levinson’s mid-life transition models but reveal non-linear growth paths. The study urges schools to pair pedagogy with personal-development time, flexible workloads, and accessible mental-health support to reduce burnout and sustain educational quality.