ARE TEACHERS REALLY HEROES OR SLAVES?
Teaching is the single most important profession in the world. Teachers pass on knowledge and values to children, prepare them for further education and for working life and are main contributors to good education. This most important profession however does not get the recognition it deserves.
In the Philippine educational system, teachers are given voluminous works resulting for overtime without pay. Teachers have been underpaid and their "take home pay will never take them home". Because of being underpaid, they engage themselves to the loan sharks company, "kapit-patalim, walang magagawa kundi mangutang". To solve this problem, teachers become entrepreneurs selling underwear, longganisa, tinapa, mantika, school supplies and others. O diba, superheroes talaga. After teaching for 80-100 students per room for 6 hours or more a day they can still be entrepreneur at the same time. Yes, it is a nightmare. And yes it happens in real life within the public school system. It is a manifestation that education and educators are not one of the priorities of the Philippine government.
Resources are another matter. Many public school classrooms are equipped with the most basic of equipment: a blackboard, chalk and eraser. Some are fortunate to have visual aids, either donated or purchased by the school. But many times, a teacher will not only have to be creative, but will dig into her own pocket to produce the kind of materials she needs and wants to teach class. And often, their pay is simply not enough to cover their needs, as well as their families. There are benefits allocated for teachers like maternity, paternity, study leave, bonus, city allowance, chalk allowance, uniform allowance, etc. But these are not enough to commensurate their effort to teach the next doctors, engineers, nurses, lawyers, accountants, businessmen, politicians, etc.
Teachers do not deserve to be treated like that. They are not SLAVES in their own country. They are TEACHERS who mold the students and shape their future. They are not Saints or Superheroes who can shoulder all the problems in education and just say "magtiis na lang muna tayo". You need to realize that you are not just teacher, you are also mother/father to your child/children, a son/daugther to your parents, a friend, a neighbor, a citizen of this country and a wife/husband to your spouse. Tao ka kaibigan, hindi makina, hindi robot, hindi manikang may susi. Kaya "Guro ng Bayan", Gising... Gising!!!
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Guro Ko, Aawitan Ko...
Salamat sa Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Bayan Muna, at Teachers Organization of the Philippine Public Sector, Google at Youtube para sa pictures and videos...
