Have you ever become so frustrated with students and overwhelmed by your workload that you start questioning what you are doing? At times it can feel suffocating. And yes, I admit sometimes I can feel that but I realized that I should not consider teaching is suffocated and as a work or job it is a MISSION. A mission for me is to give my best to impart knowledge, guide and give a great impact to their lives.
To give impact to the lives of our students is the very important mission for us. One of the greatest accomplishments a teacher can make is having an effect on a child. Although helping students learn a series of skills is the primary responsibility of a teacher, this is often only a small component of being a “teacher.” Developing a child into a responsible, young adult can be equally rewarding, if not more rewarding than teaching a child academic and technical expectations. One of my greatest accomplishments happened when a young gentleman (balik-aral) was enrolled in my regular class, from my class. At first, he was so ‘pasaway’. When we had our first activity, he wasn’t participating. From day one, it was my personal goal, to help this child feel comfortable to become an active participant not as a ‘pasaway’ in my classroom and in turn give him importance. With the help of constant support, a positive classroom environment, a lot of patience and the acceptance that the entire class gave him, he slowly changed. I will never forget the day he raised his hand and answered a question for the very first time in my class! My heart still skips a beat when I remember the life changing progress this child made that year. I also remember he never try to cut his class especially in my subject. He was one of my responsible students in his batch. But the time I took with him was not motivated by any test score results or state mandated content standards, rather the passion to help a child in need.
Some people said that students in public school are more ‘pasaway’ than private school. Now, I truly believe that it’s all about the proper handling of the teacher not the behavior of the students or the kind of school that the students enrolled. Because when teachers create quality relationships with their students, it becomes a bridge between the teachers and student to confer, collaborate, and communicate. It provides a path for teachers to support students’ disposition development for learning and life. It helps teachers advocate for students’ needs, and it creates a space to learn who our students and their backgrounds, cultures, and personalities. Once one experiences such a dramatic transformation in a child, one never underestimates the impact he or she can have on a child’s life.
As I gained wonderful experience and confidence as a teacher, I came to regard teaching as my primary professional responsibility. Teaching combines knowledge, skill, passion, and compassion. When teaching becomes a true passion for a person, one cannot help being humbled by the accomplishments that can be made in the life of a child and in the life of a teacher!
By: Carmellet R. Lalas |TEACHER II | Bataan National High School | Balanga City, Bataan
