I often hear the lines “There is no money in teaching” and “in teaching you can’t be rich.” Many look at teaching as the last option for a career.
There was a kid who never dreamed of becoming a teacher. When she was in high school she dreamed of becoming a nurse but her sister told her that Nursing is expensive. In college, she enrolled in the course her friend took just to have a companion. When her father learned about it, he forced her to take up Education. She dropped her first course and finished her Education.
She was jobless when she got married and stayed in the barrio. She had a lot of responsibilities and life became more difficult, especially since she had no stable source of income. She decided to apply for a teaching job in the newly opened high school in the barrio. She was a volunteer for almost six years before she was given a regular position.
Being a pioneer teacher was difficult, to the point she had to spend her own money for the sake of the learners. But as she went through the years in teaching, she learned to love her work and realized that teaching is more than being a teacher.
The school where she teaches is small and still undergoing development. It is the second-farthest secondary school in Benguet. There is no road and its location is within the boundaries of three provinces. Being a new school, they started from zero facility, tools, and equipment. This drove her to start soliciting from the local government unit. Through prayer and faith, all the things the school needed were granted through the years, which brought joy in every accomplishment she had despite the sacrifices and difficulties in teaching.
Many teachers say being promoted to teach in a big school comes with greater possibility, but for her, promotion comes from God because all things are possible with Him. She decided to stay as a teacher in the barrio because she noticed indigent learners needed more of her service than those in the urban areas. For her, life in the barrio is paradise.
Aside from her teaching tasks, she continued strengthening her linkages to stakeholders because she believes they are of great help to her school.
During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, she proposed two projects. One is the project Binnadang: Bringing Indigent Learners Needs through Networking and Developing a Non-Stop Growth of Spiritual Life focused on learners. The program was helpful to high school and college learners from their barangay.
Another is the project BATARIS: Building a Community through Active Bayanihan and Reuniting in Different Seasons. The program is focused on community development and human services.
Through God’s grace, these programs were successfully implemented with the help of LGUs and other stakeholders.
She learned many things in teaching and as she goes deeper in faith, she looks at teaching as a ministry and a calling, not as a career. She realized that a teacher is Jesus’ partner in His teaching ministry so she was proud of being one, and she thanked her father for this.
With all her experiences, she realized if we accept teaching as a calling, then we can do greater things in our ministry. She even proved to herself there is no need to be rich to help others. We can help the learners, the community, and other people through our skills and talents.
My commitment, dedication, sacrifices, and efforts brought me a reward at last. I was chosen as one of Benguet’s Outstanding Teachers for this year and I thank the Lord for this recognition.
Truly, not all can become teachers because teaching is a highly responsible work and teachers are held to the strictest standards (James 3:1).
May 11, 2024
