the first semester

Made it through my first 4 months as a classroom instructor; the later part was breakneck as we had to compensate for lost meetings due to the consecutive typhoons that hit our place. In fact, in my Management class, we haven’t had enough time for the “Controlling” function but I’m glad we had completed “Leadership”– something the other sections haven’t. Not that we’re competing with them though.

Overall, it was a rewarding experience to know that I had been part of the education of these students or perhaps, touched their lives in a way or two if some consider it that way. I intend to be regarded as a strict teacher. I sense, and co-teachers affirm that even other students who weren’t in any of my classes have the same impression of me. My students themselves had amusingly associated with me the word “stress” throughout the term. They often say, “Sir, ka-stress naman!” (Sir, that’s stressful!). Oh c’mon! Are they expecting to study ABC’s?

Alright, I won’t deny being meticulous with their output especially homework. These kids belong to ‘Generation Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V’ as one of my former mentors put it and true enough, their papers were copied from the Web then pasted in Word often without even bothering to cite their sources. My frustration almost made me suggest to having the web page itself printed along with the ads and buttons which, in truth, would be better because the URL is printed as well – the least way of giving credit to the authors. Worse, they did not even bother reading the relevance of what they submitted to what was asked! Perhaps they thought there were too many of them and I am too busy to actually read what they submit. Somehow they were right; I just scan through their papers. But the purpose of scanning is to find key words which would either earn my approval or otherwise. To give them a hint of what I look for, I returned their first homework with some parts underlined and noted with remarks like “What are you talking about?”, or “Next time, read if relevant”, or “Summarize!” For the rest of the term, this was my index: 3 to 5 points deduction from their actual grade for those exceeding the prescribed two pages and the real hopeless ones get 10 points more than the equivalent of zero but which, still is 15 points below passing just for their expense on paper and printing.

Cheating is another major issue. As a part-time instructor, I am paid in an hourly basis and so I do not get to proctor my own exams because the school is maximizing the pay for full-time colleagues whose salaries are computed in monthly rates. Still, when I got the answer sheets, cheating was apparent. Guess what – both parties were punished. The “copiers” received a failing score whereas the accomplices’ answers for the cheated part were disregarded losing them at least 10 points. They were never confronted and no names were named but this disappointing revelation was announced in class to warn everyone. I may be tough but I don’t embarrass them. I want them to know that they were given a fresh start. The next exam therefore was given in multiple sets created similarly and labeled uniquely and included topics from prelim to finals. This would not give them enough time to decipher who got which questionnaire.

Even for computer subjects, some students abused the magic of computer shortcuts. The results were files with different names but the same errors, date and time created and modified, and author. To prevent recurrence during the finals, I surprised them with a written exam for laboratory to find out who really knows what. With computers shut off and pens in hand, they analyzed codes printed on paper. The results were an expected drop of grades from the previous grading period.

I did not expect my students to equal in one sitting, the knowledge I’d acquired in my years in college and in the industry. Neither do I intend to be the villain who would not wish them success and find amusement in their sufferings. One moment I’m mad about their negligence and noise, the next, I’m cracking jokes. I break monotony whenever possible. But I feel I had to be stringent to instill in them to always strive for excellence and not settle for mediocrity; to try their best before believing that it is all they could. So they may understand that they could cheat their exams in school but not the fact that they did not learn anything which would eventually manifest when they’re applying for decent jobs. Further, grades aren’t numbers that they must achieve by all means but rather are figures that measure how they really perform. I try to be as transparent with how their grades are computed and constantly remind them how much more they need to make the cut.

I believe this is generally a promising group if given sufficient motivation. Significant part of this motivation however could neither be imposed by me nor by somebody else – students ought to learn to draw it from themselves and for themselves.

One lad, I’ve learned, was taking Computer Fundamentals for the third time. His previous teacher had told me that he’s not dull and in fact a fast learner. He fails because we would miss class if doesn’t feel like attending. He would miss his exams not because he has problems settling his fees but simply because he intends to miss it. With me, he failed during prelim. He could have passed midterms but didn’t officially file for special exam until the filing period lapsed so he failed once more. He redeemed himself during pre-finals by earning a whopping 94% mark and I saw hope for him. I talked to him seriously and told him that we’re almost there and that I appreciate his renewed eagerness along with the encouragement to just keep it up for until the finals which would be in a month. He agreed and was cooperative and diligent for the rest of term. Ultimately, he passed the subject and is now eligible to enroll major ones come next semester.
The experience so far is indeed a combination of inspirations and frustrations; there are more to expect. I had heard some of their stories and they had heard mine. Classes resume in a couple of weeks and I’m handling a new group of students. But nothing beats the first time, they say.

Here are few memories of my students from our last two meetings. Sadly, not all of them passed. But I hope lessons were learned.

In a Teacher's Uniform

My very first day as an official “ka-Lyceum”1 is one of my unforgettable moments. As a working student, I attend school straight from the office more often than not, wearing our polo-barong uniform. I was not familiar with the room numbers yet so I had to inquire from few students outside who responded by nodding. I entered the room. I haven’t had any acquaintance yet hence was feeling very uneasy I didn’t even sit down. I just stood at the rearmost side near the door and stared out blankly. My classmates came in and took their seats without even a whisper and remained that way for roughly half an hour. No instructor came. I stepped out of the room wordless. Realization came only the following day when I finally broke the ice and spoke with my classmates. They confessed they mistook me for an instructor! *First day high!*

Similar misconception happened when I first used my shoppers’ card in one of our local department stores. While attending to my transaction, the shopkeeper asked, “Teacher ka?” When that happens, two things cross my mind: one, I look old for my age (which has already been an accepted truth) and two, I exude the authoritative attitude expected of teachers.

Teaching is among my admired professions and admittedly appeals to me more than my current field. The way I see it, what makes teaching special is its considerable opportunity to influence vast audience. That opportunity is inherent to the profession in such a way that regardless whether a teacher is regarded to be “good” or “bad”, still, he/she has affected the lives of their students. The difference lies only whether they had motivated the student thus were admired, or their inefficiency was discouraging thus they were disliked.

Henry Brooks Adams best put it: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence ends.” A typical Filipino spends 14 years schooling from Grade 1 to fourth year college. Should we include preschool, graduate studies and short courses, our scholastic years extend beyond that. We advance in level and acquire more knowledge and yet, we remain under the instruction of teachers. I better realized the importance of the role of teachers in our existence especially during a child’s formative years which I think include adolescence also. I remember when my sister was in kindergarten, one of her favorite pastimes at home is to play teacher. She would pull her small chalkboard and lean it against our cabinet and “hold a class” complete with a stick and yelling to “noisy students”. Now, it amuses me to hear similar stories about my officemates’ kids. This proves that a child’s mind is indeed a tabula rasa which shall absorb learning derived from experience and interaction. (I hope my Humanities instructor wouldn’t deny me for forgetting the philosopher who presented this concept. *wink*)

Teachers play a vital role in boosting their students’ self-confidence which leads to being independent and responsible. However, focus should be on motivation first; independence and responsibility is achieved in the long run. Teachers ought to establish symmetry between challenge and encouragement as well as with authority and sociability. Tasks should not be too easy so as to avoid being taken for granted yet neither should it be too tough that it becomes parallel to impossibility. Being able to accomplish things in breakneck pace does not always spell productivity. Quality complements productivity because we cannot consider something as completely done if we have lapses somewhere. Thus, to achieve quality education, it is more important that both students and educators should assure that a strong understanding of the underlying concepts pertinent to the undertaking has been established first prior to being conscious with deadlines and rushing the output. Sad truth is that there are teachers who seem to have entered the profession to take “revenge” for their own hardships in college by overloading students with requirements.

Moreover, teachers must project reasonable authority so as to convey that they mean business and fortify the impression that they are the persons fit to consult on their respective areas. It is indeed unprofitable and risky to receive instructions from someone who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Nonetheless, teachers should also maintain a pleasant professional relationship with their students to serve their purpose – to guide and be of help. I really admire teachers who encourage students not to hesitate to raise questions and would patiently find means to clarify confusions according to the student’s aptitude. These are the teachers who are not allergic to the word “spoon-feeding” and know very well when said approach would be helpful. More admirable are the few teachers who have significantly affected their students’ personal lives to a certain extent by being a friend who gives sound advice, a pat on the shoulder, kind words, and sometimes may even share material resources.

Humiliation should not be mistaken as “challenge” as this may shatter one’s confidence especially when the person is still striving to find his strengths and establish his identity in the social circle. On the other hand, commendation should be amply given to someone who does well or at least exerts extra effort. Again, keyword is “balance”. Appreciation should be genuine and not mocking, and must not be lavish to avoid being misinterpreted as favoritism and cause the one being praised to be conceited. I believe that it is rewarding enough for students to see that they get grades they deserve. I had few instructors who seem to believe it is degrading for them to give a grade of flat 1. I think otherwise. High grades could gauge how effective the teacher is provided that all criteria in the grading system show how well the student performed; excluding extracurricular incentives of course.

Teaching is a noble profession; effective teaching is a work of love. Bob Ong, in his humor-editorial book “ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” upheld his view that teachers should be rightfully recognized as “mga makabagong bayani” (modern-day heroes) as much as, if not rather than OFWs. I share his stand. Truly, overseas workers endure being a pilgrim and have to confront issues of homesickness, racism, abuse, etc. just to be able to remit foreign currency. However, I believe that sacrifices of teachers are fair heroic acts because most of their time is spent away from home to attend to the noble duty of molding minds and being a role model to their students yet majority of them aren’t compensated as much as OFWs. Nothing could better illustrate patriotism without having to die for the country than to stay and serve our own people despite low financial gain.

Teaching, as we know, is not a high-paying job at least in our country. With the promise of nursing and technical vocations nowadays, what has teaching have to bid against? From my acquaintances, only few took up Education for a college degree; most of them have a (public school) teacher relative. Teaching is often considered as a second option and part-time job. It has become a trend that graduates of other degrees resort to teaching for various reasons – most common of which are additional income, to gain (first) working experience, or simply to have something to do while awaiting release of their board results or working visa abroad. Definitely, nothing is wrong with these yet such may also imply the Filipinos’ shortsighted perception of teaching.

Good enough, the opportunity for teachers have fairly increased in the international market lately, both for typical classroom setup and online instruction.

Furthermore, some people, especially males, find teaching as a "non-challenging job"; i.e. boring. While that is understandable and teaching really is by nature a routine, it’s not easy at all. Having to prepare lessons for every subject they teach and repeating the same for each class they meet daily could be exhausting. Hence, I see very little difference between teachers and merchandisers discussing over and over to different audience, the benefits of that multi-purpose kitchen knife, availing a credit card, or residing in that estate. Nonetheless, the chance to interact with a diverse group of people with different attitudes, motivation, lifestyle, and ideas is not at all boring. While students learn from their mentors’ expertise, teachers eventually learn effective group management.

Teaching is indeed a profession which entails hard work, dedication, lots of patience and unceasing pursuit for improvement. A technical person who does well in the industry may not always be similarly effective in teaching because proficiency is having acquired knowledge while teaching is sharing knowledge. It is not hard for us to distinguish a professional (in its profound sense) teacher from a so-so type. I appreciate teachers who make a difference by performing their jobs with sincerity, those who value student welfare above being compensated for their services, and those who are honest enough to admit their shortcomings. This world needs more of their kind and our reciprocated cooperation and respect may be our humble tribute for them.

I have a high regard for teaching. For now, I know no other way to advocate its significant undertaking than value the knowledge and virtues my schooling has infused in me until that time when I shall again encounter that question “teacher ka?” and finally I shall be eligible to answer yes and smile. MGGM




1 Lyceum is the school where I am presently attending college whereas "ka-" is a Filipino prefix synonymous to "mate" like "kabarkada" (peer) and "katulong" (helper)