Teach me not...
Every one should have known by now that it is dumb to force a duck lay all her golden eggs. Yet, many of us think only of the immediate comforts and forget about tomorrow. Worse, we became insensitive to everything outside us.
Teachers are glaring examples.
When I come into the classroom, I know that students will learn something from me- both good and bad-which may have eternal influence on them. Yes, everything I say, or ignore to say, will affect change in them.
We are supposed to teach the students to be resourceful, to be responsible, to think of what is good to them and to everyone. But reality presents a different picture.
Teachers are supposed to model to students how to be resourceful, responsible, and productive.
I know of one teacher who told her students to buy tickets for the upcoming disco, which is a school fund-raising activity. To “motivate” the students, the teacher promised to add 5 points for each ticket bought. One student bought four tickets. She got 100 in her report card.
The teacher convert the grades of the students, which are supposed to reflect their learning growth, into a simple commodity you can buy anytime in the market place. The teacher will get fifteen pesos, a ten percent share, for each ticket. Yes, in this third world country, so many people, including teachers, seemed to have lost their senses. The teacher’s style in selling the ticket is not being resourceful or entrepreneurial—this is an outright opportunism and grave abused of power.
She is not alone. It is not unusual to hear students complain about so many projects. Many of these projects are not even related to their subject matter. Nevertheless, they have to nag their parents every night because ‘submission’ of the projects with high tag price ensures higher grade.
In this country of mine, there is no duck that lays a golden egg. We work all day to earn money we borrowed yesterday.
The ugly face of teaching is a monster. Let us erase it.
Viajero dela Tierra
December 6 1998
Sunday
Every one should have known by now that it is dumb to force a duck lay all her golden eggs. Yet, many of us think only of the immediate comforts and forget about tomorrow. Worse, we became insensitive to everything outside us.
Teachers are glaring examples.
When I come into the classroom, I know that students will learn something from me- both good and bad-which may have eternal influence on them. Yes, everything I say, or ignore to say, will affect change in them.
We are supposed to teach the students to be resourceful, to be responsible, to think of what is good to them and to everyone. But reality presents a different picture.
Teachers are supposed to model to students how to be resourceful, responsible, and productive.
I know of one teacher who told her students to buy tickets for the upcoming disco, which is a school fund-raising activity. To “motivate” the students, the teacher promised to add 5 points for each ticket bought. One student bought four tickets. She got 100 in her report card.
The teacher convert the grades of the students, which are supposed to reflect their learning growth, into a simple commodity you can buy anytime in the market place. The teacher will get fifteen pesos, a ten percent share, for each ticket. Yes, in this third world country, so many people, including teachers, seemed to have lost their senses. The teacher’s style in selling the ticket is not being resourceful or entrepreneurial—this is an outright opportunism and grave abused of power.
She is not alone. It is not unusual to hear students complain about so many projects. Many of these projects are not even related to their subject matter. Nevertheless, they have to nag their parents every night because ‘submission’ of the projects with high tag price ensures higher grade.
In this country of mine, there is no duck that lays a golden egg. We work all day to earn money we borrowed yesterday.
The ugly face of teaching is a monster. Let us erase it.
Viajero dela Tierra
December 6 1998
Sunday
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