My insights on being a teacher

Time and time again, I have constantly attempted to motivate myself to write more however I keep on failing to do so.

I want to organize this blog, but obviously, I don't know how. I want to personalize it further, but I don't know how. This however, shall make me motivated to work better on this hobby that I used to love.

Anyway, last October 26 - 29, 2012, I attended the National Seminar for the Appropriate Strategies for Learning Literacy at the Commission on Audit at the Diversion Road, Buhangin. The venue was very far and inaccessible. We had to ride a bus to get there. However, taking the bus ride eases me---disregarding the fact that I can smell different scents from different people.

When we reached there at 1, we were introduced to our speaker, Dr. Ricky Aguirre. He was very proficient and well-equipped with the topic he discussed. Contrary to many speakers of the seminar I attended, He was fun and interesting as a speaker. There were no dull moments and he spoke to our level of knowledge. However, there were moments that some teachers had difficulty understanding him due to his very rich bank of terminologies that sounded like alien terms.

But whatever to that! The important part of this blog is my insight regarding the seminar.

Being a Pre-school teacher is not easy, contrary to what I expected it to be. 

From a bird's eye view, it might sound and look simple, but in reality, there are so many things to be considered when teaching preschoolers. Yes, it's easy teaching kids because their lessons are not difficult. You don't even need to a degree from college to teach them. Being a preschool teacher is actually of an application of all the theories and laws you learned from college. No, not only an application, it's a deliberate process of synthesizing, generalizing and evaluating all knowledge you gained from school to a one, concrete, complex strategy of teaching a very simple lesson. You have to consider the nature of your students, the culture they grew up with, their skills, the activities that are appropriate for their age. It must not too easy nor too difficult for them. Still think it's easy? 

A teacher in the primary level plays a very crucial role to the child's development.

The primary level is also considered as the formative years of the child. It is at this stage wherein the child remembers things easily. Therefore a teacher in the primary level must be very proficient in communication skills because regardless of how innovative or creative she is, it will all deem pointless if it was conveyed differently, complicatedly or confusingly. The child needs to understand an instruction in the most conducive manner, which can only be attained by someone who has excellent communication skills.

A child being unable to answer a question does not necessarily mean there is no comprehension.

When you ask a child a question about the story that you tackled and he cannot answer, does that necessarily mean he did not understand? No. He might have deficits in language, because he has difficulty in conveying his ideas not necessarily meaning he did not understand. Therefore, the teacher must device different ways in appropriately measuring the skills of the child. It must not be limited to oral questions and paper and pencil tests alone. Focusing more on the process than on the product should be practiced most especially by the primary level teachers.

The main point is, being a teacher is not an easy task at all. The weight of the future's education is on you. You can definitely make a change to someone's life. It may not give a decent pay at all, but the sense of fulfillment it rewards you is more than any material thing can give. This is why I love being a teacher. :)

God has really blessed me with this job.I know deep in my heart this is for me. 
Yes I know I am constantly challenged by the behavior of my students, the deadlines I have to chase, the paperworks I deal with everyday and the pressure of being the teacher of these kids who are so used to a such luxurious living...but I'm happy. It constantly inspires me to be better. The struggles I have everyday as a teacher motivates me to do my best everyday. 

It really makes me grateful for I know that although I have my strength and weaknesses, I can prove to myself that God created me specifically for this.