I am a ReYmarkAble Teacher

REYMARK C. MANLAPAZ

“Liliwanag din ang kalangitan… , at ang araw ay sisikat nang muli”. Kamusta na kaya ang ating mga magulang? Tinanong na ba natin sila? Sa lahat ng kanilang pinagdadaanan ngayon-- marahil na roon pa rin ang takot at pangamba sa likod ng mga kaganapang hindi maipaliwanag, patuloy pa rin silang umaasa sa Diyos na maging masaya, punong-puno ng pag-asa at pangar ap.

Si nanay at tatay ang maituturing na ilaw at haligi ng tahanan. Sila ang pinagkukunan ng lakas ng bawat pamilya. Sila rin ang nagtataguyod at nagpapagal upang maibigay ang mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng buong pamilya. Sa pagsulpot ng pandemyang ito, labis silang naapektuhan. Mayroon sa kanila ang nahinto sa trabaho dulot ng Quarrantine, mga establishment/ opisina na nagsara dahil sa utos ng pamahalaan-- nabawasan ang kita dahil sa patuloy na humihina ang negosyo. Ang sahod na dati ay sapat lamang sa mga gastusin (pagkain, kuryente, tubig, renta sa bahay) ay ngayon ay nabawasan pa. Tuluyang bumagsak ang kabuhayan ng bawat pamilya sa panahon ng pandemyang ito. Ang ayudang buhat sa pamahalaan ang inaasahan ni nanay at tatay upang makatulong sa mga gastusin--ito’y naiuutang na kahit hindi pa nila ito natatanggap. Totoong nababakas ang kahirapan ng buhay sa bawat pamilya.

Dagdag pa sa mga iniisip ng mga magulang ay ang pag-aaral ng kanilang mga anak. Sila na ngayon ang tumutulong at gumagabay para sa kanilang mga modules. Paano kung mismo si nanay at tatay ay hindi maalam o hindi nauunawaan ang mga aralin? -- o hindi nakatapos ng pag-aaral?. Ito ay isa ring malaking hamon para sa kanila na may mga anak na pinag-aaral. Papaano nila maipagsasabay ang pagtuturo sa mga anak at paghahanapbuhay na kapwa mahalaga sa pamilya? Ang paglalaan ng panahon sa pagpunta sa paaralan na kung saan tanging sila lamang ang makagagawa nito upang makuha ang mga modyul. Sa panahon ngayon halos hindi na makatulog ang ating mga magulang sa dami ng kanilang iniisip. Ang takot at pangamba na kung kailan ito magwawakas. Ang panahon ding ito ay nagbibigay kasiyahan sa mga magulangnagkaroon ng mahabang oras na makapiling ang mga anak at makasama sa loob ng bahay.

Ano kaya ang pangarap ng ating mga magulang ngayon? Iisa lamang ang iniisip nila at ito ang tuluyang wakasan ang madilim na pangyayari sa ating kasaysayan sa larangan ng kalusugan. Ang manumbalik ang trabaho at umakyat ang kita sa mga negosyo upang muling matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng pamilya. Ang kasiguraduhang ligtas sa panganib ng COVID 19 at dagdag pa rito ang maging normal ang lahat pati na rin ang pag-aaral ng mga kabataan.

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The author is Head Teacher III at Angeles City National High School

REMARKABLE. Worthy of being or likely to be noticed especially as being uncommon or extraordinary. This is how Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “remarkable”. In this challenging world of education that has become become even more demanding because of the pandemic, being a teacher is undoubtedly a noble and hard profession.

While some people believe that being a teacher is an easy job (you just have to teach your students), immersing yourself in the field of education, especially in the Department of Education, will give you the aha moment that teaching is not ONLY the job of a teacher.

Another realization: to be able to carry out the many duties assigned to a public-school educator, it is not enough to be a plain teacher. One must be a remarkable teacher.

A public-school teacher’s roles are the following: teach the lesson, check students’work, compute grades, communicate feedback to the parents, prepare quarterly reports of the students, monitor health of the learners, counsel the learners with their problems, show compassion to parents and learners, clean the classroom. These are just few of the tasks that teachers pledge to do.

With the overwhelming roles that a teacher needs to undertake, most of the teachers are experiencing burn out and, in worst case, they consequently give up their chosen profession.

They often choose to shift their career into corporate world where 8-4 working hour is strictly implemented. Some seek greener pasture on the other side of the world.

Teaching is a tough career. One must be remarkable to become a teacher and remain as one.

But what does it really take to be a remarkable teacher?

As we go back to the day when we chose to be a teacher during our college days to the moment that we pledged to our country that we will be a licensed professional teacher, we need to find our purpose! I think working from home will help us to reflect on our mission why we became a teacher – to serve people. As written in Matthew 20:28, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve, and to give His life as ransom for many.” Our ultimate model is Jesus Christ. He came to teach and to serve people; and being his disciples, we also teach and serve the people selflessly, just like Christ did.

Being remarkable is being uncommon to the point that even other people don’t understand you at times.

You choose to die to yourself and serve others. You are not sacrificing your time, comfort, or convenience so that you can please people but rather you do it because you choose to serve. Service entails sacrifice and you happily and selflessly embrace it.

Lastly, love to yourself, love to your students, love to your work, and love to God are the motivation for you to be a REMARKable Teacher. Corinthians 1:13 is a reminder to us all teachers that everything we do in our job should be rooted on love:

1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, [b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

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Junior High School Teacher III of Angeles City National Trade School