Sacrifices of Teachers for the Love of Students

Arleen Guarin Tongol

THE Department of Education (DepEd) continues to recognize the efforts and sacrifices of teachers amid changes in the country’s learning environment brought about by COVID-19.

Let us recognize the fact that educators all over the country have been working hard since the start, working on modules, activity sheets and a lot of other materials.

This takes a toll on our teachers, whose routines were disrupted by the COVID-19 virus which is still out there, until this day. Instead of reporting to schools, which has been the way since time immemorial, they have to work from home.

The DepEd truly admires, acknowledges and recognizes their efforts – their sweat and tears and sacrifices, all for their love, care and concern for our learners.

They wake up early, get ready for remote work, eyes and body still tired from the work they did the day before. There will be times when they would feel sleepy, but they need to keep awake.

The current mode of learning nowadays which is online-modular takes most of their time to get connected to both parents/ guardians and students regardless of the days or time they may need assistance.

But this is their chosen vocation, so sacrifices have to be made. Late nights, late meals, late sleep – all that is part of being an educator.

They teach, yes – but they teach remotely. This is very difficult for every educator out there who has to make that sudden shift from face-to-face classes to distance learning methods. It’s hard for every techie-illiterate teacher out there who has to learn, and learn fast, how they could impart knowledge to their students remotely.

But they need to do this, for their students, and for themselves and their families’ futures. This is what they do; this is their passion.

Indeed, teachers have the critical role to make sure that the delivery of learning continues during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department, for its part, also ensures that they are recognized and provided benefits during this challenging situation.

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The author is Teacher lll at Justino Sevilla High School