Beyond Board and Chalk

Master Teacher I – Bataan National High School

As the teacher starts to scribble numbers and letters on the black board, she also begins to unfold another piece of history.

It has been my life for so many years now. It has been part of my everyday routine, a big part actually. I wake up early in the morning even before my alarm rings. I need to jump off from my bed and prepare a sumptuous breakfast for my husband and kids. I need to see to it that everything is under control or at least in proper places. From the clothes they wear up to the decorum they must acquire, from the things they need, down to the food they eat. You see, I am a “Mom” first before I become your so-called “Ma’am.”

And there it goes, as I enter my beloved school where I devoted myself to be of greater service for my country, I wear the tag that I have the noblest profession among all. I am a teacher, a molder, an educator, a friend, a mother.

At first, I had a hard time realizing the weight of my chosen career. I thought my life would just revolve around teaching, making lesson plans and computing grades. But as years pass by, I gradually embrace the thought I am making a big difference in this society. Through my little effort to share and teach the knowledge that I have, I become a nation-builder. Don’t get me wrong. I do not blow my own horn nor do I disgrace other professions, what I mean to say is that behind every successful engineer, attorney, doctor, architect and any other profession is a proud and happy teacher.

That is why every time I enter the classroom, I see to it that I am ready and equip with knowledge that my students need to obtain. I consider it as another opportunity to shape and mold lives.

Of course things do not go as silky smooth as others expect it. Challenges and obstacles come on our way as a teacher. There were times when our patience had been tested. We get angry, we get peevish, we make mistakes but that is only because we are only human. There were instances that we need to choose and make a win-win decision for the betterment of our students. So I tell you our beloved students, if there were times that we lose our temper to you, believe me that is because you are loved and cared for.

Because being a teacher is far way more than teaching the 1-2-3 or A-B-C or Do-Re-Mi. it is a lifetime commitment, a lifetime sacrifice. Sometimes we even compromise the time that we have for our family. We earn less than what we give. We go to school even if we are not feeling well because we have students waiting for us and for the knowledge and knack they would get from us. We do not regret the things we do. We do not regret who we are or what we are right now. I think that is the essence of being a teacher; to sacrifice and to love.

We often think that teachers only teach us academic lessons, but always remember that as the teacher starts to scribble letters and numbers, she also begins to teach the greatest lessons in life.