ENDLESS NOBILITY

Post date: Jun 21, 2018 1:02:53 AM

By: Honeyleene P. Bautista

Teacher – I, City of Balanga National High School

Teaching and disciplining go together. At times, we are confused as to which of the two we must prioritize. When we speak of disciplining we can also coined ‘teaching discipline’, can teachers be blamed for this Filipino generation’s lack of discipline? Filipinos have been commended for their very good work etiquette. They are hospitable and hard working. They do their job beyond expectations and they express love in every task they perform at the workplace.

However, the idea of ‘Filipino time’ would always be something attached to Filipinos for we are always late. When we say the classroom is a place where individuals prepare their future, it is but proper to say that the classroom is where we form habit and character. Hence, they learn that time is of the essence. They must not be late. They have to turn in home works and projects on time. Moreover, they follow a schedule that allots a set of minutes or hours to do certain tasks. Yet, there are still some who fails to comply.

According to Marshall Mcluhan in his Technological Determinism Theory, it is technology that shapes society. Youngsters these days are exposed to gadgets that use up most of their time. They spend time in surfing different social networking sites. Things they have done or experienced have to be posted for the world to see and the number of views, likes, and shares matters a lot. Aside from this, interactive video games have also taken so much of our youngsters’ precious time. They unintentionally are losing time for most of their everyday routine like eating, studying and spending moments with family. However, it is important to note that it is not entirely their fault since the coming of new technologies starts to shape the lives of its users. Sadly, the negative effects of too much exposure to modern media is taking a toll on our youngsters and these are perfectly observed in the school (where they spend most of their waking hours). They come to school late with the reason that they are not able to sleep well, not disclosing that they have spent the night playing video games and/or browsing the internet. They show less interest in doing school stuff and their academic performance drops from average to poor.

In case like these, teachers need to go beyond teaching the subject matter and have to be adults to lead and guide the students to living life the normal way again. Most of the time, based on experience, parents words would express on giving up on disciplining their children. They would say that they have done what they could do hinting that the institution has no other choice but to accept the situation. As such, it becomes frustrating for teachers for it is they who witness the downfall of the individuals concerned. It is they who are expected to the best they can to bring back the student’s interest in learning and coming to school on time. It is they who are blamed for bad academic performance when in fact, other factors are liable for it.

Being a teacher is indeed a noble profession for it is almost imperative for them to take everything in and to bring out the best in everything after taking them in. The blame game is a lousy escape for them for their conscience and intellect are not shape for unacceptable reasons and behavior. Therefore, the most expected way for a teacher to do is to find the right and kind solution to problems and students. Harsh punishments are no longer acceptable as this government protects our children the same way other first world countries do and the educators are its partners in working things out. It is really difficult to solve a problem that you did not create but have something to do with. However, the promise of every teacher to build influence in making this nation a better place to live in must always come into play and the endless nobility his profession demands must always be satisfied. Teachers must be firm and avoid being swayed by the mocking words of others. They must be proud of themselves at all times for they have to confidently fulfill their oath by all means. And most of all, they must have the heart to understand and the intellect to objectively sort things out for the betterment of the lives they touch, the most important resource of this world, our children.