I had no clue what I wanted to take up in college. I received all my application forms from UP, Ateneo and DLSU but I didn't know what course to pick. I wanted to go into theater. I wanted to sing, dance and become an "artista." I loved the excitement of performing in front of other people. Stage fright was something that I rarely experienced. I was really hoping that the universities that I was applying to had a bachelor's degree on entertainment major in noontime shows.
Anyway, it was a good thing my mom was there to get me out of my fantasy world of make-believe and nonsense. So I told her all of the above and she said, "Bakit ayaw mo mag-teacher nalang?" My first reaction was, "Teacher?! Ewww! Ang pangit nang uniforms nila!" Mom rolls her eyes and says, "Bahala ka!"
Uh-oh...Mom's "bahala ka" is dreaded in our household.
After giving her stupid and flimsy excuses on why I didn't want to take up education, she then told me why teaching would be okay for me. She said, "Think of it this way Icka, teaching is like performing. At least you have an audience everyday." So, with no other option I chose to pursue education in college. DLSU offered double-degree courses in education so that was my first choice.
I'm sorry if my initial interest in education was not completely noble but that soon changed when I started taking up my major subjects in school. I met so many great and inspiring people in college. One of them would be my "bestest" friend, Welly. We were both education majors but she was specializing on early childhood education. Young kids really irritated me when I was younger so ECEd was not for me.
What really turned me around was my last term in school. We had to do our practicum in our chosen field in one of the designated praticum schools of La Salle. I got assigned to LSGH and taught 6th grade English. I was really nervous on my first day in school but my mentor was really nice and helpful so I was able to survive on my first day. I was so impressed with my students in LSGH, especially the "A" class. I didn't expect boys to behave so well in class. I don't think I ever got mad in my one month stay with them. (Galing talaga ng mga Lasallista or baka dahil wala na akong mga pinsan na natira doon :P) It was such a great experience for me that I couldn't wait to graduate and start my professional career as a teacher.
I've been teaching for more than 5 years now and I've had my share of ups and downs. I've met all kinds of students and parents. Some who are nice and some...not so nice :) I now realize why my teachers don't like checking papers and why writing on the chalkboard is not as exciting as it looks.
Lately, I've been having lots of "down" moments. I love teaching my students but the stress of the job has been giving me second thoughts. I've been working non-stop ever since I started teaching. It's a 24/7 type of job. I can't go and say, "Oh! It's 4:30 pm! I should stop thinking about work now. I'll just continue tomorrow!" If you're a teacher and you work like that then you're...weird. (I don't want to say anything really negative,haha)
I'd be so cranky, irritated, angry and depressed when I would come home from work that at one time I cried in front of my mom 'cause I was so fed up. I felt that I needed to get away from anything related to work. I felt a little bit better after talking to my mom, but there was still a little bit of that feeling left in me.
My sister, Ate Twinx, posted something on my Facebook wall a couple of days ago that reminded me of why I'm in this profession.
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.--- William Arthur Ward
That led me to think what kind of teacher I am. Have I ever really inspired any of my students?
I just recently got back from a batch retreat with my 6th grade classes and I think I now have the answer to that question. Here is one of the many letters that I received from my students during the retreat. This is just one of the many reasons why I teach (and why I bawled my eyes out last night!).
Dear Ms. Icka,
Thank you for everything that you gave us and done for us. For me, you are a really special teacher. Not only did you teach us lessons in history, you also taught us values that we will cherish our whole life. You have been so patient with us and you were very kind to us. I really like the stories that you tell us. Some are funny, scary and different sorts of stuff. You made my grade 6 year very memorable. We are really blessed to have you as our teacher. You are somebody we surely won't forget. I hope that you would always remember the good times our class had together. We had so much fun with you. We laughed a lot, got touched with your stories and insights and so much more. You are really someone that we will remember as we go on through life and experience some more things in this world that we have not seen yet. We would always remember you wherever we may be. We love you so much! We are truly blessed to have you as our teacher, adviser, second mother and our motivation to go through life knowing that we should make each day count.
F.C.
