‘MAG-TEACHER KA NA LANG’

KATHERINE BUAN SARMIENTO

To be a teacher means you need to have an “EXTRA”; extralove, extra-time, extra-patience, extra-effort, extra-dedication and many other embellishments. It is not an easy task to do. It is a lifetime mission that you need to fulfill and a calling that you need to answer. We cannot deny the fact that teachers greatly contributes to be welfare of every nation. They serve secondary parents to all students who wants to learn. They need to shape learners according to their dreams and hone them holistically to be life-ready.

Another perspective that we should look upon teachers is that being a teacher wouldn’t offer you luxury and wealth just by its salary. One must not expect that teachers live with golden spoons but in reality teachers strive hard just to battle with life and they also face the responsibility expected to them. A teacher is expected to be a role model in the society upholding high educational standards, good morals and optimum integral formation.

Truly teaching is considered as the noblest profession amongst all any other profession in this world. But, most of the time this profession is being belittled. People see teaching as a simple, less-effort and as an easy job to do. Like for instance, parents in some places give remarks like, “tutal di ka naman masyadong marunong, mag-teacher ka nalang.” They look at teaching as if it is a cheap and an easy mission to do. Becoming a teacher means you are selfless and you are always ready to sacrifice yourself just to ensure the welfare of your students.

For teachers love and dedication is synonymous to sacrifice. Most teachers exert extra-effort in teaching just to ensure that most of her students are gaining knowledge from her. They need to prepare a lot of motivational strategies and lesson guides just to achieve their daily objectives in teaching. Yes, it is their job to do all of these. But, we have to face the fact that it is not easy to deal with variety of students coming from different family; having different attitudes, personality, level of intelligence and the most challenging is having different learning approach.

The success of a society and a community can also be credited not just to parents, government officials but most importantly to the teachers. They contribute a big part in the success rate of every students in their career. They burn themselves just like candles just to lighten the path

of every students. They push and motivate every learners to follow, catch and hold up to their dreams in life. That is why it is very much heart-breaking and insulting whenever people look down to teaching as a simple and not so easy profession to do. But on the other side of the coin, teachers should take these comments and perceptions as challenges to further improve their skills and capabilities shaping the life of every students. One might see teachers as small pieces in the society but we have to accept the fact that though teachers are belittled, a beautiful puzzle will not be completed if one small piece will be missing.