More than mere teachers

BEING a teacher for just a couple of semesters or so has not really turned me into a pro, but I guess I can say, it has opened a totally different vista for me to really find out the real roles that women play as a teacher. Foremost, Teacher act as the second parent of God’s little creatures in school, and society’s first class hand maids.

They too are tasked, not only to teach the ABCs and the 123s in formal school, but unconsciously, parents expected them to give their children a ‘dose’ or two of the morals that they should have taught them at home. In other words, some parents expect their children to learn the GMRC (for good manners and right conduct) which, for the most part of it, they should have been taught at home.

And this is where the learning comes in. Most often, teacher encounters students with a totally distorted notion of value, especially on respect of authority and honesty, because what they see at home runs counter to what the teacher says. In effect, the children became confused. While it is true that there should be some kind of limits that should be observed by the teacher when it comes to handling subjects that are sensitive and tends to be volatile, children’s issues are limitless, and sooner than later, there is that great possibility of children divulging what is building up inside of them.

It is after all difficult to put on hold some issues especially when it becomes too much to bear, and normally, these things find their way out when human concerns and values are the subjects of the moment.

Some time ago, in one of my subjects dealing with writing in the discipline, a student casually brought out the uneasy situation in their family. We were actually discussing issues that are of human interest, and trying to identify some possible topics for the stories that they can write about just to start how it is to write about something that interests them.

“Allan”, the student related that women’s issues are some of the topics he wants to write on because, as he explains, his own mother has been one of those helpless women who could not avoid the battering of her husband. Allan was talking about his family in a matter-of-fact way, seemingly trying to distant himself from it, but he admits that he hated his father for hurting his mother even in front of them.

In such situation, the teacher is put on guard. There is no way that teacher can put a stop to Allan’s talking about his concern, and so, she can do nothing but listen. It is her duty to just let Allan express himself, be the sympathetic ear along with Allan’s classmate, but at the same time, handle it as a class lesson for the moment as best she can.

In so doing, she has to be on guard with herself, that she must maintain objectivity under the circumstances but at the same time draw lessons from that practical situation that she can transform into a positive learning not only for Allan but also his classmates. As a woman, she knew that such a situation is unacceptable, to say the least, that is, along the line of Human Rights violation and women’s rights, and she has to address that situation and highlight the importance of protecting human rights especially in the context of the family.

Thus, it is of utmost importance that teacher should be equipped especially with the most basic course on that particular provision contained in our Constitution: our fundamental human rights. She or he has to have a solid grasp of these Constitutional rights that the children must have that basic knowledge of on how to protect their own rights and those of their loved ones.

Think about the invisible disaster that an ignorant mentor can do on innocent minds.