School is home and home is school.
It is never a question that there are tons of work teachers do every now and then. Before discussing the lesson, they exert so much effort in making their lesson plans and instructional materials. During the execution, maintaining the good behaviour and the attention of the learners are one of the daily challenges they face. Dealing with almost two hundred students everyday with different attitudes, preferences and background.After classes come the forms and files for records and documentation or in some cases, attending sessions and meetings. There are times that parents come and visit about their child’s academic concerns and complains.At home, teachers should again prepare for the next day’s discussion. So, these are the routinary things they do from Sunday to Monday. Yes. That’s a fact. Frankly, sometimes, I take it as a brutal fact.
A teacher’s life seems to be just a routinary “route”- home to school and vice versa. This thought sinked in my mind which made me feel extreme boredom. I even asked myself if I would want to do this humdrum acts for the rest of my life.That is why when opportunity knocked, I was enthusiastic to grab it. Working abroad seems to be one of the goals of Filipinos with the mindset that it would make their lives better. And as for me, yes, I agree. Having a recommendation from a friend, I elatedly prepared all the necessary documents to apply in a Filipino school in Bahrain.
One month of setting my papers, yet I failed to prepare one thing- myself. That was April and I was advised to fly the next month and work with people who are totally strangers to me.After finishing all the docus, a question popped out from my head, “Are you really ready?” Ready to face everything alone? as in everything?
From my inner being, I felt the answer flowing through my veins to my heart, “NO.’
The moment of truth has finally brought up this enlightenment in me.A teaching that comes from the mind possibly can be a root of evil. Evil in a way that it will deprive you from all the luxurious mundane things, and will lead you desiring for more without knowing that it steals your most precious treasure, time- time to spend with family, time to venture out freely and a time to be yourself. It will succumb individuals to death putting into their minds that teaching requires all one’s life, money, effort and prowess. True, but now I take it positively.You see,teaching comes from the heart sees it as a profession full of love and compassion. Love is exactly what keeps teachers going. Love for the students, love for the family and love for the nation are the engines that boost a teacher’s power to touch the lives of others. Now, I choose love, and I choose to be in my real home, my school, my country.
By: Ms. Elaine Joy R. Cruz | Teacher II | Bataan National High School | Balanga, Bataan
