WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR TEACHERS?
ALETH R. KOH
Everytime I am alone, the idea of what is going to happen to me keeps on playing on my mind. The future that awaits me in the teaching profession is like a shadow that keeps on following my being as I move along. Will I feel contented and happy as I go through my experiences at school? Will I be fulfilled as I apply for my retirement? Or will it be the other way around? — these are some of the questions I need to answer as I reflect about my classroom episodes.
When I recall the experiences I have had in the institution where I belong, It seems that teaching has become difficult as time passes by. No matter how well teachers write their daily lesson logs, no matter how good the preparation of teachers of their instructional materials, no matter how deep the communication of teachers with their students as well as with the latter’s parents and guardians, still the students’learning is not as meaningful as before. In my point of view, this hardship faced by teachers has happened when the Child Protection policy has been enacted. This is because when students have discovered that they are protected by the law, they have become lazy in doing school activities. They are aware that teachers can never hurt them physically or emotionally even though they do not perform well in class. Students are conscious that even though they will not be punctual, they will not submit the requirements, they will not pass the exams, their teachers will conduct remediation or will implement interventions in order for them to receive a passing grade.
Aside from the Child Protection Policy, I consider the bulk of paper works teachers need to accomplish add to the difficulties they face. Instead of focusing on the instructional materials necessary for classroom instruction, their time is spent on writing daily lesson logs, accomplishing various school forms, doing RPMS and performing other tasks as assigned. Have you asked yourself whether or not you are stressed by these occurrences?
Concentrating on the disadvantages of the Child Protection Policy and of the bulk of documents necessary to be prepared most of the time, we may ask ourselves, “Is teaching worth fighting for?” ”Do I need to ask for my early retirement or not?”— these are some of the questions that sink into my being. “Ten or twenty years from now, what lies ahead for teachers like me?”
Perhaps, what really lies ahead for us teachers depend on us. Our future is dependent on our perceptions and on our responses. If we think that the Child Protection Policy and the overwhelming paper works give us headaches and heartaches, then we will experience such. However, if we think that they are opportunities for us to demonstrate the values we wear, then we will always see the brighter side of everything that is, these hardships are just part of our life to make us stronger… that these difficulties are just present in order for us to share what we have for our learners. Now, may I ask you this “Are you excited to know what lies ahead of you in your chosen profession?”
— oOo—
The author is Teacher III at Bacolor Elementary School, Bulaon