Experience and dedication bring out the best from every teacher. It may be fun but it commands overwhelming responsibility from every person who counts himself/herself as a teacher.
Experience is not only what we gain from our past. It could be from what we have learned inside the four walls of our rooms or from our dealings with other people outside of the classroom. It may mean our association with learners, colleagues, school heads, parents, and the entire community.
The experience will be more enriched if teachers find time to deal with students or learners. Having quality time with them outside of school hours could produce dividends. It may result to bridging teachers with the students to close gaps and or iron out misunderstandings. This is often done during outings and co-curricular activities. Teachers must always bear in mind that just like students, they themselves are also learners.
Our relationship with our colleagues is a great experience. A not-so-good bond spells doom while a harmonious association would mean a healthy environment fertile for all sorts of learnings.
Just like all professions, the boss-ward relationship will mean a lot. Every teacher must have a good rapport with school and/or department officials should they want an unhampered flow of technical, educational or material support. A good relationship also enhances an atmosphere that could bring out the best from the students, teachers and the community.
An important sector in every educational institution is the parents. Teachers should always remember that parents are the first teachers who reared their pupils before they entered school. How teachers deal with parents would count much on the performance of learners. The extent of a parent’s involvement in assisting a child in her or his assignments and how a parent ensures a child’s participation in co-curricular activities are greatly influenced by how a teacher deals with parents.
The experience of any teacher would never be complete without his/her involvement with the community. When schools involve the community they build partnerships that will help learners attain healthy learning behaviors.
Teachers should be dedicated. It is given that all teachers are intelligent and possess all what it takes to teach their students. However, not all have the qualities that makes a teacher truly great and dedicated – not all have the passion and compassion.
A good teacher is not only one who knows what he/she teaches by being on top of all the subject matter he/she handles. A good teacher must have the passion to drive what he/she intends to impart to the learners. Although intelligence and skills are great qualities every teacher must possess, they also need to be passionate and enthusiastic in their dealings with the students. Having passion in teaching makes the learners comfortable and inspired to grasp what the teacher wants them to absorb. A teacher must be dedicated towards molding the students to succeed and not just to kill the time away.
Compassion is another quality a teacher must have. As defined by scholarly works, compassion means the skill and power to understand other perspectives other than your own. It is the foundation for building good relations between and among individuals, understanding each others’ complex emotions, and leveraging relationships for collaboration and progress. With compassion, teachers will be able to control and motivate the students more effectively.
Teaching is more than promising. Teachers have a lot of struggles physically, socially, spiritually, mentally and most of all, emotionally. We do things beyond our mandate but it gives us happiness when we guide and see our students persevere and succeed in their chosen career.
This proves what William Ward said, “Teaching is more than imparting knowledge and absorbing facts; it is inspiring change and acquiring understanding”.
At the Abatan National High School, we have experienced much and we continue to gain more experiences. Thanks to the parents, education department officials, and the community leaders who continuously pour their support on the institution. Through their cooperation, we have instituted physical improvements on the school and administered trainings and seminars that greatly affected our students.
For the years to come, we expect more GAWIS (Getting Ahead with Integrity and Service) experiences.
We expect a more cohesive school atmosphere and a continuously supportive community. This, as we move towards our mission of creating more opportunities for our children and the coming generations.
By Ana Liza A. Dicdican
