By Vic Bas | amm blahkmey
Vol. XCI No. 8
Oct. 4, 2019
A pupil in the classroom is asked to stand up and answer a question. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the tall woman holding a pen and class record asked. “When I grow up, I want to be a teacher,” the pupil answered.
One of the best jobs in the world is to inspire the young generation. These soon-to-be adults are the future of this world, and that future is carved by the people who teach and guide them during their childhood. Who are these people you ask? They’re what we call teachers. It doesn’t matter what, where and how they teach, as long as they understand the essence of their job while executing it in a way that helps the young ones learn and be inspired. In fact, I am a product of good teachers; the things I do, how I do them and why I do them are the things that I learned from them. And I am sure that most (if not, all) of you experienced that too.They are our nation’s heroes, the sculptors of the future generations.
If we see teachers as heroes and of great value, then why are they treated unjustly? Imagine preparing a lesson and traveling great distances just to teach and provide unfamiliar people with knowledge that can help them have a better future. All that effort, all that hard work spent finishing college and passing the board exam, just wasted on the unjust system that underestimates their job as professionals. These teachers do not deserve that.
Love of the job
I hear the cry of the teachers in my school. They do something every Friday to make a statement, prove a point and seek resolution. They wear red, display their banners, make their faces known to the public every week, fighting for something. Why do you think that they’re fighting for it? Why are they spending their time doing this, and not do other personal things? I’m sure they have families or people to go to instead of being there, but they choose to be there. If they feel like they don’t get the treatment they deserve, then why not quit their job? I guess it’s because they love their job.
If the unjust treatment doesn’t seem to be believable, then why did they go on strike last 2017? The faculty union was negotiating with the administration on several issues, but the administration, at that time, rejected the union’s proposals. Two years have passed, and the union is once going back to the table to look after the welfare of its teachers. Tirelessly speaking out their rights, even if the administration recognizes it as threats, according to one of the faculty union’s members.
Love of the students
Everyone will experience bad days: students, parents, and even teachers. No matter how bad your day is, as a teacher, you get to suck it up as much as you can, and be the best version of yourself in front of your students.
If these teachers wanted to, they would just skip class easily (just like what we students do,) but they won’t. Sickness can’t even stop them. We skip class because we feel like our fever will kill us, when in fact our teachers are experiencing worse but still manage to stand up and teach the lessons that they have prepared for us! Are they crazy? Do they not care about themselves? Do they not think about their future? No, they just love their job and their students.
Who I am right now, I owe it to the teachers who pushed me to go beyond my limits. I’m having a better future because they helped me in the past. If they have helped a person like me to become better in the future, then they can help more people like me. They don’t deserve the unjust treatment that they are experiencing right now.
Because they love their job, they still dedicate their lives to it even with the disheartening education system. So, to the education system of this country, please, love our teachers back.
