Proactive Teacher

Post date: Apr 10, 2018 12:56:59 AM

Kissmark S. Bendo, TI-BNHS

Being a teacher opens up a lot of possibilities. It is a duty sworn not only to students but more importantly to the whole nation. But teaching is also more than a task. It is a privilege not for all but for the few who are brave enough to heed the call. That is why there are a lot of things one needs to do to truthfully and holistically develop a child.

For one, a teacher is one who prepares lessons for his/her students. He/she sets up a learning goal, does strategies and plans methods for the achievement of the said objectives, and measures the learning growth of the students. Being a teacher means putting most of his or her time in analyzing what needs to be done and what needs to be said. Being a teacher means offering his or her waking hours in deciding what instructional materials best fit a certain lesson, where and when a child will learn best, and preempting obstacles that may hinder the teaching-learning process. That is true, when you choose to be a teacher and you choose to serve for a lifetime.

But teaching does not only capitalize on the physical effort an individual can do. The students need more than this; the teachers can do greater than this. The teacher can and will contribute to the emotional well-being of the students. From time to time, we have been faced with students who are stubborn, noisy, and rude. We have sighed at their annoying behaviors;we shouted at their mean remarks; and We hated bullies and isolated talkative learners. Every now and then, we have been fed up that our job is to teach them concepts. Yet as time goes by, I have realized that I have a larger role in the development of their personality. I have learned that there are souls beyond those uniforms, that they are more than their grades—that they cannot be defined by their grades, and what they need is a person who can understand them. It is tough, I know, to be the patient teacher who will not easily quit because of his or her students’ misdemeanor. It is tough to act as a surrogate mother or father because of their irritating boldness on their speech. But these students are humans, enduring family problems and all, undergoing identity and existential crisis, and just learning to be part of a larger environment, and it is not hard to realize such truths.

More than giving them high grades, I think the best thing that I can contribute to my students is to be that person who will listen to their stories; be that one person who will understand their weaknesses and struggles; and be that one person who will believe in their capacity despite their current inadequacies. I do not wish to be the best teacher in town. I do not pretend to desire fame or popularity. What I want to do is to be that teacher who will always be proud of his or her students—no matter who they are and no matter who they will be.