THERE IS HOPE FOR BULLIES

Teaching in a public school is such an adventure. This is especially true for the teachers who have long teaching experience in a private school. In government school, there will be pupils with different personalities. There are those who are very obedient and treat their teacher with high regard. There are those pupils who can afford but still choose to enrol in public school. There are some pupils who work in an early age, and go to school sleepy, hungry or smelly. But of course the list of these children will not be complete without the “favorite” pupils of the teachers. They are the “bullies” of the class. Among the said kinds of pupils in the classroom, these bullies are the one that gets the attention of the teacher the most. They are the one who give color to teacher’s life. They cause the wrinkles, hyper tension and colourful emotions of the teacher. Aside from the best students, the bullies are the most remembered in the class. That is why when they turn to the next grade they will be one of the topics during the articulation. Hearing former teachers warning the next grade teachers about Pedro and Juan displaying inappropriate behavior in there classes and better be prepared to face challenge in the next grade.

The most rewarding part of being an Educator is indeed being the light of our fresh youth whom have yet to know the roads being taken. Their simple mumbles of “wow” when they have learned something new from you is veritably the most endearing gesture that could complete your day as a teacher.

Teaching our youth could be both stressful and refreshing at the same time. It is by knowing that you are to spend your day being with students that are most energetic but fragile in the opposite manner. In order to have a good day in the school, you need to pack a lot of courage and patience before leaving the house early in the morning. Dealing with student could be a handful, but it takes passion to know that the fact that you are the main instrument of a young student’s basic building block to knowledge is more than enough to reciprocate for the stress in the process.

You are starting to understand that our part as Educator is not just a job but a calling. The classroom environment could become your second home; and indeed, your students could become your children, although not biologically but with emotional ties. The numerous school days and the long tiring hours inside the classroom creates stress, but by growing along side with the students, it gives you courage to be animated once more in order to give more. You are not just teaching lessons to students but you are also knowing them one by one. As a teacher, you couldn’t help but see the future inside the child’s eye; knowing that a light bulb is starting to be built inside their minds and a gossip inside you saying “what could this student be someday? He could be a doctor or a teacher like me as well.”

You can’t really deny that disarray might often occur inside the classroom. One case in point is a quiet silent-reading session with the students and you can’t help but to enjoy the company of peace and silence every once in a while. Then after some while, a bug comes in flying towards the little girl whose screech is very loud, of course, that causes disarray. Others might also be shocked because of the screech and start screeching as well or might laugh because of the reaction. Your course of action could also be catching the bug and putting it inside a container, then after the reading selection, you could use that to start a small lesson about bugs and insects. That could motivate them into drawing pictures of bugs or reading stories about it.

It may seem uneasy to be the only adult inside a room filled with young students, but it is really the most gratifying part of the life being a teacher. Our experience becomes more satisfying specially at the end of the school year whenever they say,“Teacher, we don’t want to leave you… Thank you!”

— oOo— The author is SST I at Camachiles National High School

Fear releases in laughter Play that helps children overcome their fears starts by giving a child Special Time, during which the grownup does whatever the child wants to do . You are the listener. Notice what your child loves to do, and support her with closeness and approval. During this time, look for opportunities to take the less powerful role. If your child is pretending to go to work, playfully cry and beg her not to go. If your child wants to play chase, try to catch her, but fail most of the time. If your child asks to jump on the beds, playfully ask her to jump “carefully,” with enough of a sparkle in your eye that she’ll know it’s OK to surprise and scare you with how high she can jump.

Your child’s fears will release as she laughs while you play this less powerful role. The longer you play and elicit laughter in this way, the bolder your child will become. But avoid ticking— it is not helpful. Fear releases in crying, trembling, and perspiration When your child’s fears have seized her, she is ready to work through her deeper feelings of fear. At this time, it’s your job to be as warm, accepting, and confident as you can. Don’t try to change a safe situation. Your child has to feel her fears in order to shed them. Your confident presence will make all the difference for her.

Move her slowly toward the frightening situation, and hold her close. When she begins crying, struggling, trembling and perspiring in your arms, you have things “just right.” She will feel terrible: you are there to assist her while she sheds that terror. You can tell her, “I’m right here and I won’t go away. Everything’s OK.” or, “I see how hard this is, and I’m watching you every minute. I’m keeping you safe.”

Stay with a terrified child for as long as you can. The more tender and confident you are, the faster her fears will melt. Children can generally cry and struggle, tremble and perspire, for up to an hour before they are done with a chunk of fear. If you can, stay with your child until she realizes that she is safe in your arms, and that all is well. When she reaches that point, she will relax, perhaps cry deeply with you, and perhaps laugh and loll in your arms for a good long time. Her behavior will change markedly after deep emotional release.

Helping our children release their fears can be difficult work. It’s surprisingly hard to let children laugh long, and to listen to the depth of their fears and grief. You’ll find that things go better when you find a listener for yourself, so that you, too, have the chance to say what you think and notice what you feel as you work hard to help your child conquer fear.

— oOo— The author is Teacher III at Porac Elementary School, Porac East District