POSITIVE OUTLOOK - EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE PHILIPPINES

ROSELLE Z. CRUZ

As public-school teachers we tend to search for what it is like to be teachers in other countries. In Thailand, the government made significant investments in education, resulting in competitive salary packages for its public-school teachers with lots of allowances. In South Korea, teachers benefit from their National Health Insurance, and the Office of Education always pays half of their medical costs.

When we do that, we are tempted to compare and we know comparison can bring self-pity in someone's mind that can negatively affect our mindset that can affect our performance in the teaching profession.

Whenever I feel that way, I always get back to my core as to why I am doing this and why I choose to be an educator. Teaching is my passion and my heart is happy whenever my students learn more about my subjects. And it’s more than that, it's fulfilling to hear feedback from my students that I made a positive impact on their lives.

I learned that to be a productive and effective teacher we must have a positive outlook on our education system not being blinded by what is lacking but being grateful for what we do have right now. It is not always a bad system, lack of educational facilities, teachers, etc. but some good things such as technology from manual computing of grades to the utilization of Microsoft Excel, just as simple as that. Teachers nowadays are more focused on teaching and gradually detaching from non-teaching related functions. This is evident in the hiring of non-teaching personnel in public schools in the country.

I will leave this powerful question. In the picture below, as a teacher, what do you see "Is the glass half empty or half full?"

-oOoTHE AUTHOR IS TEACHER I AT SAN VICENTE PILOT SCHOOL FOR PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMEN BULAON RESETTLEMENT SITE, CITY OF SAN FERNANDO (P)