Nothing Is More Noble Than Pedagogy

"Ok class, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Ma'am, I want to become a doctor someday."
"I want to be a nurse."
"Engineer, ma'am."

This is a typical situation in the elementary class in the Philippines every time the students discuss what they would like to be in the future. Children nowadays are being affected by the glamor of some professions, particularly the stature and even the uniforms the professionals wear. But seldom would you hear that their ambition is to become a teacher; more so when they grow up a little bit.

The stature of teaching profession has been gradually declining as the years pass by, unlike before when teachers were being looked upon as dignified as how we view doctors today. But what puzzles us is that how we disregard such career to the point that we advice our not-so-talented-and-intelligent children to take education courses. What a big disdain!

I admit, though, that I became one of those who look down on pedagogy. I belong to a family of educators; my dad is the executive director in a polytechnic college, my mom is an assistant principal, four of my six sisters are teachers (we could even establish a school when we want to). When I was entering college, I decided to take up AB Psychology just to take a different path from what my family members passed. But, tough luck, I was enrolled at the Philippine Normal University - the premier teacher-training institution in the Pearl of the Orient.

Teaching wasn't still on my mind while I was taking the course. I had my on-the-job training at the Personnel Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Even when I graduated, I looked forward to work in a human resource department.

Another tough luck came in. My friend, Joel Mesa, invited me to work as a college instructor at the City College of Manila. Although I really hated to teach during that time, the view on my students' faces who were thirsty for knowledge gave me inspiration to hug the profession. It seemed that the nourishing of the mind of these young souls depends on me. Now that I'm teaching in another public college, the Valenzuela City Polytechnic College, I can still consider my job as the noblest of them all. It really gives me this sense of fulfillment that neither money can't buy nor be equated by expensive valuables, not to mention the youthful feeling that I acquire. It really pays to be equipped with the effective methods and techniques that I acquired from my Alma Mater. What's more rewarding is that when some of your students come back to you and tell their success stories and attribute them to how you moulded their minds when they were under your tutelage.

Several factors can be attributed to the fast decline of the stature of teachers, among them the unattractive compensation (which is not enough to pay the bills for you, that is, if you live even in a little bit luxurious life), the taxing work (well, to some who didn't invest their commitment to teaching), and the changing of norms of the society. The sad truth is, if the child is not that fortunate intelligence-wise, his parents would send him to college to take up education courses.

Our government must intervene to this growing problem in the education sector, especially now that, according to the results of the recent studies, the quality of our educators is plunging; the degrading English proficiency is one of them. The administration should consider the revision of the benefits that the teachers are receiving to attract more well-talented youth to take education courses. Another insult to injury is the growing rate of teachers working overseas, particularly in the United States, where effective educators who are in search for greener pasture could live there la dolce vita, thus resulting to the remaining of some not-so-competent professionals here.

In these days when people become materialistic due to the fast-changing society brought up by modern technology, let us instill in the minds of our children the nobility of giving the torch (Awww, it makes me sing our Alma Mater hymn: O, Alma Mater ko, sa mga guro'y ina...) to provide light to others for them to take the path that leads them to search for truth.

So the next time the elementary students have their class about ambitions, let's hope that more and more youngsters would say:
"Ma'am, I would like to be a teacher like you someday."