On Teaching and Teachers

Teachers are today’s greatest heroes. We have lots of heroes actually- sportsmen, media personalities, supermodels. They come, they have their 15 minutes of fame, and they go. But the popularity of teachers never wanes.

My memory is teeming with beautiful thoughts about my teachers then. I have so much to say about them, especially that I was able to witness how patient and how hard working they are.

Being educated in a rural public school, I know how hard the life of a teachers, and of course the ordeals that they have to bear,as they are expected then to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that, they accomplished the impossible task with flying colors.

Teachers are expected to perform the peculiar dual task of inculcating knowledge while at the same time breaking down resistance to its inculcation. Many expect them to serve to a large degree as surrogate parents dealing with the emotional tangles and torments of the adolescents years.

Teachers made enduring impression in the lives of children they’ve touched, as they inspire students to go beyond their comfort levels in learning. They are role models who help each and every one in the classroom gather information, assess and evaluate, assimilate and synthesize.

Teaching is a noble profession. At times, it is rewarding…oftentimes it is not. It is through teaching that we produced great minds and it is through education that people are granted the choice to live a comfortable life. Education grinds to sharpness the rugged edges of our children’s mind.

Teachers are catalysts that enable the youth to take in knowledge to the hilt.Our role cannot be underestimated in bringing out the best and the finest in them. We walk with them in their eternal trek to wisdom. May we be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

The government’s sense of fairness to the education sector is almost always amiss. Deliberately or otherwise, the education sector is offered the back seat in the government’s wagon of funds. As a consequence, the quality of education in our country has declined significantly. The poverty-stricken teachers have to make do with their meager pay just to provide good education to their children. How I wish, one day, the joyous sunrise will end the teachers nightmares.

Teachers are heroes that we do not see in telenovelas, nor in history books- unselfishly giving their time, talent and resources for the future of our youth, graciously blending with them as they help them quench their thirst for knowledge.

Teachers effect a dramatic change in confidence and motivation of the students, by simply believing in their capability and potentials. Way back in high school, I used to have a teacher who believed in me immensely that I used to work doubly hard in her subject simply because I did not want to betray her trust she had on me.

Now, as a teacher, my world revolves around the dignity and pride of being one. Teaching is my life, students are my inspiration. I always remember what the American Philosopher and education theorist, John Dewey, once said- “Education is not preparation for life, it is life itself.”

I have been teaching for 16 years now. Fifteen years in the grade school is not an easy journey… yet, it was a very rewarding one, (not the material reward we know but the inner fulfillment, we all seeking), as I reached the apex of my career as school paper adviser.

The experiences- be it sad or happy one, failure or triumph, surely added colors and meaning to my life as I gained the respect of my students, co-teachers, co-advisers, and many other people within the circle of my work.

Being with my students, and my student-writers really makes a difference in my life as a teacher. School paper advising,training student-writers for different contests and instilling the much needed values in their young minds made me fulfilled in as far as mentoring is concerned. Needless to say, I love my subject, I love being school paper adviser, and vowed to continue imparting my love of scholastic journalism to my future students.

As the school year is about to begin-I wish I could make a difference…Making students feel that they are cared and loved, and letting them know that we are more than willing to teach them the rudiments of learning- will give them the motivation to reach their goals. Believing and trusting them, much more- will inspire and contribute greatly to their well-being.

Knowing that we make significant contribution to our students’ lives is something money could never buy. Teaching allows us, teachers, to make a positive difference in the life of someone. With dignity and pride, let us continue our noble task of molding and shaping the future of our youth.Let us nurture the seeds of today so they may bloom into the flowers of tomorrow! (Chermed)