Students can tell

By: Aisee Paguio Cruz, MAEd, BNHS T-III

Why do most commercials target kids? In fact, one of the famous lines in connection to that is the hotdog advertisement which used the statement “Kids can tell.”

Why am I talking about that commercial tag line? How is that relevant to my profession? We, teachers are working with our students. Hence, whatever we do will definitely mark our students’ hearts. Even little and simple things will etch in their memory.

In cognizant to that, I would like to relate that to our experiences as teachers. If we are being true in doing our duties and responsibilities, we have nothing to worry about because our students can tell. They will attest before us. If we think we are the only ones doing something for our students, think again for it is actually the other way around. It is in fact our students who are doing us a favor. We have no one to teach and serve without them. We will not be called teachers if not because of them. There will certainly be no reason for us to be here if not for them.

Relatively, as time goes by, in my own observation and experience, the requirements to be submitted and paperwork to be done were increasing. In fact, in my first year of teaching, one only has to photocopy or reproduce his certificate and that’s it. But now, aside from the photocopied certificate there must be some attachments included like pictures, invitations, matrix, proposal, and the likes. Why? What are those? What are those for?

As explained, those documents were actually necessary to serve as evidences. Thus, I can’t help but imagine myself every end of the school year inside the courtroom presenting specimen one to three and so on.

Perhaps, proving one’s virtue is really a BIG deal in the academe. However, I think, whether one can provide and produce those needed evidences, I still believe that it is still the students who can really tell.

Sometimes, due to one’s too much enthusiasm in teaching, he might not be able to take some time to take a picture of his lesson employing ICT. Moreover, one may have attended a seminar, took a picture of the activities and the likes but his files were corrupted that he lost everything before being able to print them out. Another, a teacher may have accomplished the suggested materials to be submitted, but his papers were misplaced that he was unable to receive the certification in time.

There are many possible reasons for one to become guilty of not attending his duties and responsibilities, but in my own opinion, he could prove his innocence through his students. Students are the sky and seas of teachers. They reflect whatever they see, hear, or feel. They can tell who and what kind of teachers we are.

Thus, as long as we have done our part, we have nothing to think about for our students know us at heart.