A vow to remember

By Demetrio T. Ubay

Contributor

“Education is something you can’t lose and it is only the wealth that we can give you.” This line was often times reiterated by my tatang and inang over dinner when we were young. It was in the same stage also that I have already fathomed a bitter sweet reality—life isn’t a bed of roses. Some of us are born with a silver spoon, some of us aren’t, and our family belonged to the latter. It might be easy for some to get educated and fulfill their dreams especially those who belong to the former. But a whole lot different if you have six siblings who live under the same roof of poverty. When the only means of living was the meager income of your parents who were both little farmers. 

The reiterated line and our condition made me believe it would be the wisest choice to get educated as much as I can regardless of paucity. It was in the same stage of my life too when I thought education was the only way to realize my young dream of making my parents happy and proud of me. So I vowed to become somebody. I have promised myself that their toils and sacrifices will all be paid off someday somehow.  I never thought of anything that would uplift our lives except to educate myself and find a good job right after. I believed in the nobility of education as the only key for me towards my aspirations in life and to overcome poverty.

Thus I took the craggy race, traveled the dusty road, and struggled the winding road towards those promises. I chose to be stolid and strong amidst life’s challenges just to get in the finish line. I have worked very hard. There were cries. There were failures. It wasn’t easy. But the reiterated lines of tatang and inang and the vow when I was young personified my steadfastness and resiliency to get an elementary certificate to a college diploma. All of which were realized. I became a teacher by profession. I was never wrong that my diploma and my siblings’ triumphs have made our parents happy and proud of us.

I taught young souls. For 19 years as a classroom teacher I came to understand that indeed the best teachers are patient, understanding, and kind. They can put themselves in their learners’ shoes and imagine what they are thinking and feeling, thus anticipating what they need in order to learn and thrive. When a learner is struggling, good teachers hide their frustration and refrain from making disdainful comments that only make the situation worse. Instead, compassionate teachers try anything and everything in order to reach each and every learner. It can be challenging at times, but great teachers know what separates them from the rest of the pack is the heart and soul they bring in the classroom. I was hopeful I was one of those teachers as perceived by my pupils for that nineteen long arduous years.

I was once also a teacher who inspires. Like my tatang and inang, I repeatedly uttered the lines, “You might never succeed until you realize that your life is in your hands and no matter how bad, your success can never be determined by your situation.”

Again I understood, life isn’t a bed of roses, and so is teaching. Teachers are faced with numerous problems and setbacks which tested our patience and determination. The same old glitches like lack of good and well-edited textbooks, shortage of teaching materials, degrading values of pupils, and many more. Then I thought if not for our poor state and how corrupt our political leaders and higher ups are it would have been easier to provide these scarcities. But how many of us believe our failure and stagnancy is a result of the poor government and economy of our country? Of course we don’t put all the blame to the two. Let’s put it this way, each of us has a share to make. Then maybe we could make a difference to these usual digs.

But there came a time when I was no longer contented of just being a classroom teacher.  Maybe because of these grievances that I wanted a little difference in the picture. Or more like, I wanted to inspire teachers to do more, to do better, and be the best of whatever they are.  Indeed, my spirit thirsted for a bolder responsibility, which led me to where I am now, a school administrator.

These made me think that if the government couldn’t afford to give teachers what they really deserve then maybe we could still stand that teaching remains to be the noblest profession. Well, teachers are regarded with the utmost degree of admiration and recognition. Who wouldn’t if they selflessly devote themselves to mold the character and the mind of the human individual through their inspiring and enjoyable lessons every day. Though a barrel of obstacles come their way, from the inadequacy of learning materials to the overcrowding of learners in just one diminutive room, they enjoyably teach the ABCs to the 123s of life. With all these predicaments, they unwaveringly direct remedial and reinforcement measures to resolve inevitable learning problems. With the multi-colored behaviors of learners, they unceasingly inculcate the essence of Values Education to the minds of the young to minimize in anyway the growing number of delinquencies among students. Hail to the teachers! Hail to us!

Thanks to my wide experiences as a classroom teacher and my realizations in the field of teaching that I chose to be compassionate. Just administration. Effective and affective instruction. Competent and talented learners. Well-equipped and upgraded facilities. Now, these are just some of my aspirations as a school principal. Again, thanks to experiences which taught me to become better. Thank God that there are seminars which reiterate the basic things that we should behold.

At this point in my life, I feel gratified, satiated, and nurtured. More than just the rejuvenation these things bring me, and the personal and professional growth, the appreciation of people, the smiles of the pupils, and the teachers’ gratitude nurture and rebuild the fast growing passion for this job laid on my hands.

Moreover, I come to understand that the situations in the educational landscape before and nowadays may remind us that mediocrity is of no place in this era. That a teacher should always aim for academic excellence. Hence, our motto, should be EXCELSIOR…strive always for excellence. Let teachers be guided for the best and the most effective teaching strategies that would deviate the learning process from the usual passé and humdrum practices.

Lastly let us appreciate more the nobility and the prestige of the teaching profession. Certainly I say I am really fated to be part of the noblest profession. And I am proud to be one. Education is indeed the most powerful weapon which you can use to change your life and the world.