by: J. Policarpio
VISION
When I was just a
kid, I had three definite ambitions in life – to be the President of the
Philippines, to be a scientist, and to be a teacher. As times passed and as I
became more realistic in life, these three diminished into one – I am now a
proud public school teacher.......
FRUITS
This month marks
my fifth year in the teaching arena. As our senate is busy with the impeachment
trial of Chief Justice Corona and investigating his Statement of Assets,
Liabilities and Networth (SALN), I’m also busy filling out my SALN. It is very
tiring to do so, not because of a lot of properties to be declared, but because
of repeatedly declaring N.A. (Not Applicable which could also mean New Apartments,
just kidding.) For five years, I have acquired a lot of N.A.’s, but it doesn’t
make me envious of others. I think I have invested more important things that
cannot be equalled to any price.
HARDSHIP
I am confident to
say that five years is enough to claim that most theories being studied in the
academe is heaven-and-Earth different from the realities inside the classroom.
I can still remember my first year of teaching when I was assigned to handle
lower sections. They were classified as suchnot precisely because of lack of
intelligence, but because of their different priorities, lesser opportunities,
lesser support, and financial incapacities.Everything on my mind was so IDEAL,
fresh from the concepts learned from the university where I graduated. After
using varied teaching styles and different kinds of assessments, came the end
of the quarter when we needed to submit the children’s grades. To my dismay,
only three got passing marks. I had to do a lot of self-searching, what went
wrong? One of my older colleagues had a remark that “Hindi namanlahatmagko-kolehiyo or mag i-engineer. Karamihansakanila
gusto langmaka graduate paramagka-diploma at makapag-apply ngtrabaho. “(“Not
all of our students will go to college or will take engineering courses. Most
of them just want to graduate to get a diploma and apply for a job.”) How will
I apply our grading system in this case? How will I reprimand a child who is
always tardy, sleepy and not doing his assigned tasks because he is busy at
night selling “balut” to support his own studies?How will I apply the grading
system to a child who is not able to pass the exam because he/she is the one
in-charge of his/her younger siblings’ need since their parents are working?
These “realities” are being learned through experiences and these are what make
a true teacher.
We, teachers, must
not be confined with the curriculum given. Instead, we need to exercise
versatility in preparing for the lesson considering that it will be taught to
different types of learners. In general, the major factor in the learning
process is still the teacher.
REALIZATION
Teaching is
somewhat similar to a “tele-novela” running for a long time. It is actually a
biography of a teacher in action, drama, and comedy settings combined. There
are experiences that can make us angry, instances that can make us smile or
even laugh out loud, even challenging situations that can cause raised voices
plus high blood pressure. Fortunately, I’m still surviving and I thank God all
this time for His guidance. Teaching never fails to remind me that I will
always be a learner.
FULLFILLMENT
It is not about
money at all. Yes, it’s true, there’s no money in teaching. If there were, why
would a lot of my batchmates land on different jobs especially in the call
centre industries. Why would a number of my colleagues go abroad for greener
pastures? I can’t blame them. They are really earning much more and enjoying
the other side of the fence. On my personal point of view though (don’t blame
me, it’s personal), I can proudly say that even if I earn just enough for a
living, I’m satisfied because: 1. My work is not boring, it’s distinct every
day. 2. I can sleep at night because my work is during day time. 3. Most of all
because I’m serving Filipino students and it’s fulfilling to be a part of their
learning.
Note: To those who
might get offended, don’t get me wrong. To each his own.
*Special thanks to my proofreader.
