“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” – (ESV, Luke 6:40). The teaching passage tells that it is the teacher’s task to study, handle the truth correctly, and teach accurate information while treating the pupil with respect and leads by example with the objective to make the pupils as wise as the teacher. God expect much from a teacher and the bible mandates on how the teachers should perform their tasks.
With this kind of responsibility so difficult it may seem yet so significant task of a teacher. Indeed our part in every life of our pupils/students is very critical and vital.As an educator I have to handle every pupil very carefully and differently. At the same time develop them to their full potentials as a pupil and as an individual. I have the confidence that every individual should be able to strive for success in their performance in the academe. It will only be possible with the help and supervision of a teacher who plays an essential role in making every pupil to perform well in school and to be a successful individual.
In order to realize that, I should try my best to promote growth by employing creativity, stressing the importance of education in their lives as well as giving my pupils the freedom to think and discover new knowledge and ideas. Moreover, I also appreciate that each different individual is unique therefore any ideas, opinions, criticisms and suggestions from them should be taken into consideration. Since I am teaching a heterogeneous or mixed group of learners I should put more effort to know the individual differences of each and every pupil that I am handling. I think these aspect are very essential towards making, planning and developing more comprehensive lessons and activities that will benefit everyone in the long run.
Hence, my pupils are encouraged to value effort, perseverance and determination to succeed in their academic performance. I must admit it is not just simple as it may seem but with full effort and determination I know I can do it. I should also practice professionalism such as showing good leadership skills and using different leadership style that will cater the needs of my pupils. In my opinion, it’s okay to be an authoritarian leader especially with the kind of pupils that I am handling right now especially in dealing with their attitudes but of course in moderation. Because too much authority for me will only lead or create a distance between a teacher and a pupil. As a teacher, I should be able to attend to my pupils’ personal and academic needs whenever needed. In addition, I will try my very best to create and build a safe and comfortable learning environment based on love and respect instead of fear. In order to achieve that, I must build a strong rapport with my pupils so that all of us can learn in a conducive and fun environment.
. Likewise, communication is apparently an important key to an effective teaching and learning process in the academic setting. My pupils are my main priority and I am aware that each of them has different level of proficiency in the different subjects that I teach. I believe that by creating a student-centered learning environment, my pupils will be able to take charge of their own learning with little assistance from the teacher. This will inculcate a sense of responsibility in them in terms of achieving their learning goals. As a teacher, one of my roles would be to coach and facilitate them throughout the learning process by providing information and giving useful guidelines in order them to achieve their learning target. By being more resourceful, just for example I use humor in my presentations to spark pupil interest and make my presentations more engaging. I vary my teaching techniques in class (lecture, peer tutoring, group discussion, reporting, etc.). I also utilize Power Point Presentation whenever possible though I am just using my desktop monitor. I also used other types of multimedia (documents, mp3, videos, etc).
In fact every Friday is a movie day for my pupils because they have the chance to watch a movie that will suit their needs and interests. And in the end they will also learn something new and good moral values from the movie that they can apply in their everyday life. Yes it is very difficult to the part of the teacher yet so fulfilling especially when I can hear the excitement of my pupils, when I can see the glow in their eyes right after watching a movie and whenever I hear their testimonials about mastering skills that “made a difference”. With this I will be able to achieve self-satisfaction and success in my profession.
As a teacher I should be more versatile and flexible in every changes that comes in our educational system especially at this time when the quality of education in the Philippines seems to be so poor. I would vary my teaching styles while at the same time encouraging critical thinking skills among my pupils. In my personal point of view, a teacher should dare to be different and unique. I think that learning should not only be limited within the four walls of the classroom. I will try my best to make my lessons more relevant and appropriate to my pupils so that they can relate whatever they learn in the classroom with the ‘real’ environment outside of the academic setting. At the end of the day, my pupils should be able to have self-confidence, self-esteem, good interpersonal skills and excellent knowledge once they have mastered the crucial skills to survive the real life in the outside world.
I will end up here, in the book To Teach—The Journey of a Teacher of William Ayers said “Good teaching requires most of all a thoughtful, caring teacher committed to the lives of students. Good teaching is not a matter of specific techniques or styles, plans or actions. Teaching is primarily a matter of love.” We should consider teaching to be a lifestyle not a mere forty-hour-a-week job, because a teacher’s goals for his/her pupils encompass much more than relaying out-of-context facts to passive learners. It is giving most of our time, effort, love and compassion towards each and every pupil that we’re handling. Because what the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches, and to teach is simply loving our pupils with all our heart.
By: Mr. ARCHIE B. ALARCON | Teacher II | Sto. Domingo Elementary School | Orion, Bataan
