IF ONLY I HAVE THE ‘SAY’

ROSEMARIE S. BONDOC

Whenever I see myself at home seated at a corner, done with all the paper works required by my job- accomplishment of various forms, writing of incident/ narrative reports, preparation of instructional materials and making of daily lesson logs to name a few, I could not hinder myself from asking “Do teachers like me deserve the treatment we get from the government and the society on some concerns that are most of the time being raised in arguments?” With this question, here comes my “what if I have the “say.’”

What if I have the say about the restructuring of the salary of teachers? Perhaps, I will make them comparable with the salary teachers from other countries receive. This is because of my belief that with the very taxing tasks teachers do nowadays, they deserve to be compensated well. At times, they bring home unfinished school chores just to meet the other significant demands of their work-disciplining the students, constant monitoring and reporting of students’scholastic progress, attending to the needs of students that arise unpredictably from the classroom and the like. Moreover, there are experiences that open opportunities for teachers to show their being financially generous to some students. Though some government officials may say that teachers receive other allowances that they consider huge breaks for the latter, still will not suffice in meeting some financial concerns brought about by the profession.

What if I have the say about the enactment of the Child Protection Policy. Probably, I will not abolish it totally but instead, I will create clear guidelines on its implementation so that some parents and students will not take advantage of exercising their rights against teachers. In this manner, teachers at the same time will be able to protect themselves as they guard the rights of students.

What if I have the say about the implementation of numerous interventions to save the children from failing and from dropping out. Perhaps, I will make clear procedures that will not bring confusion to society especially to some students who happen to showoff only during quarter examinations because they know that they will be saved by their respective teachers through remediation. The belief of some parents that the “No One is Left Behind” policy of the Department of Education means that their children will no longer fail despite of absences will be eliminated. In this way, students will realize that they have to exert effort in their studies to qualify on the aforementioned interventions.

What if I have the say about the making of daily lesson logs and about the accomplishment of several forms. Probably, I will review the implementation of these whether or not they really help in uplifting the quality of education. If found not helping, then perhaps I will eradicate the implementation and instead, I will let teachers devote their time and effort in making instructional materials. If not exterminated totally, I will simplify these tasks so teachers will spend more time in searching for effective strategies to use in communicating the significant lessons to students.

I have many more what ifs that play in my mind, but the above-cited issues are the important concerns I think the government should take into account. These should be attended seriously so that the flight of good teachers for greener Pasteur and the early retirement of noble mentors will be lessened if not entirely eliminated.

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The author is Teacher III at Pampanga High School