A CHALLENGE ON THE LIFE OF A TEACHER

ACELA G. RECENTES

When I was still a kid and playing ‘Bahay-bahayan’(House role play) with my neighbor playmates, I usually don’t take parent’s or kid’s role. I took my Mom’s duster, and her reading glasses, a book and sport some old shoes. Then I would tell my friends to sit behind a tree shade, where I muster teaching them as if I were a teacher. It was quite long time ago, but now, time flew so fast, lo and behold, I am now teaching real students!

But I did not get it in just a wink of an eye. I gained it from many years of struggle, and untangling myself from one trap to another. I once had to go to school with my nephew tucked on my back. I had to bring him with me to school because my sister had to work overtime. Yes, I worked myself in college. Even though my sister supported me through my studies, I had to take care of her son, whom I would leave to my other sister when I go to school. Life then was so challenging. As early as my youthful age, I very well knew the meaning of the word struggle. . I had no option but to keep my grip to whatever life would give but those did not hinder me to keep my grip from my dreams. I finished my bachelor’s degree and graduate studies as a self-supporting student. I might have been able to prove that trials are not a hindrance to success. But in that very period, I think I was just taking off.

Becoming a neophyte teacher was another challenge. I was assigned a job quite too far from the main campus. Tasks seemed to be a bulk of loads to a newbie teacher, but because of that I came to know more because those loads tend to hone me better. As years passed by I continued to learn and equip myself to be more ready facing my students with knowledge, techniques and teaching styles that I acquired from attending trainings and seminars as my tools in developing myself to be proficient and effective teacher. The tasks that I had to perform every day with seven loads for an hour- period, was not that easy to meet. All I got was patience, perseverance, bagsful of positivism, and passion for work.

In the classroom I am an advocate of shared knowledge. After I taught the lessons, I always urge the students to group themselves and discuss things to empower others and gain their confidence in their works. What I love about teaching is that I am able to connect myself to the lives of the students, especially in developing their potentiality and capability to the utmost which I believe is one foremost concern of teachers. In line with that, I see to it to make the learning experiences of the students are enjoyable, fruitful and meaningful. I am firm and gentle in matters of discipline. To me, teaching is considered a complex and many sided task. My major task is to guide learning but I have also other responsibilities. Among these are sharing responsibility in counseling and guidance- as these are not the responsibilities of the guidance counselor alone.

Being a teacher enable us to follow our dreams even in a global setting. I was lucky to have been qualified in some opportunities abroad. As a visiting faculty in an exchange program in North Carolina, USA, I was able to inter-act with foreign faculty members from different races around the globe. Though it was somehow cut short because of the worldwide recession then, I am so happy to have shared my knowledge in an international community of teachers. I found out, however, that there are practices in among the Philippine educators which were appreciated by them. One of which was home visitation. During my stay in Charlotte, I learned that visiting the students at home had widened my understanding of their culture. In that short-lived experience, I was able to serve as ambassador of my Filipino teaching profession to culturally-diversified students in the big school in the West exchanging culture, sharing knowledge and learning teaching styles. That experience has always reminded me of my early teaching training in Baguio City National High School where I had the chance to teach foreign students alongside with students coming from different local Filipino tribes. The same lesson I got, foreign and local, was to humbly proud to share and learn while interacting with co-faculty members. They too have their stories. In some instances, we can say that our local education practices may have an edge over theirs, mainly because Filipino teacher have more heart and passion in the classroom.

Before, I thought of teachers to have that life so cool and relaxing. But later, I found out that it is not. My early teaching years were beset with a collision between my expectations and the real world. I have some dreams of becoming this and that, but it seemed that I could not just get all of them in just one wink. I learned I need to perspire, and go through a long process of learning, after some training, and learning after some failures. Presently, I am teaching at Sto. Domingo Integrated School for three years now. I have adjusted to my present job so easily because of the assist and guidance of an able leadership and friendly faculty members. I am trying to again infuse some styles and advocacy like what I did in my previous places of work. I know, with the support of my co-faculty members, we may be able to practice proactive teaching. A year or so, and with a zero drop out in my stint may not yet gauge my capacity as a teacher, but as long as I give my heart out as a teacher, I am confident that I have served well my country, a hero in my own right.

— oOo—

The author is Senior High School Mathematics & Research Teacher

Domingo Integrated School, Sto. Domingo, Angeles City, Pampanga

III at Sto.