teacher's life and checking PAPERS
For the past week I've been busy, not with matters of a seminarian nor of a college student, but of a teacher. Being a teacher was never in my who-do-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up list. In my childish mind back (in my elementary years), I never imagined myself standing in front of the classroom, pouring-out all that I have to draw-out snippets, rather, golden nuggets of knowledge from young minds.
The unimagined came to full life.
Teaching is one craft I've learned to love. Taking-up Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in college is one of the best choices I've taken in my life (besides entering the seminary). This year, aside from being students, we (I and my classmates) were tasked to teach Christian Living Education in the TVET Department of our school.
Honestly, the thought of teaching students with the same age as I am, gave me chills. I felt a little hesitant. I was afraid that they won't respect me. With this fear spurring out of my heart, I just clasp my little crucifix (as I always do, whenever I am getting anxious) and relief and consolation soaked the uncertainty within me. The rest is history.
I enjoyed being in the classroom filled with about 40 students, intently listening to every word you say, every gesture you make. I love the experience of giving (almost [I'll tell you why soon]) all the stuff (tangible and not) within me to squeeze the juice out of your students. After that strenuous feat I ended-up learning more from them.
But the life of a teacher doesn't end there. It is not solely about class discussions and lectures. Aside from facilitating learning, teachers must also evaluate and measure the learner's growth in knowledge (and wisdom and values - since CLE is the subject). And so, I gave them an essay-type exam and three reflection papers.
Their FINALS ended last week and this week is their clearance week. But their grades aren't finish yet. Why? It was only last week that I reality spanked me telling me that I am not done checking their papers. All the while I thought that checking them is easy. Yes, it's easy if I will just rate their paper by the length of their essay and the neatness of their work. I was tempted to do so, realizing that 15 papers takes two hours to finish - reading them one by one, decoding alien penmanship (I pity my teachers now... my penmanship falls under this category), correcting misspelled words, grammatical errors and incomplete clauses, and understanding thoughts riding on a roller coaster. But I realized that doing so would constitute grave injustice. They took time and effort in mustering every single word in each sentence. And no matter how nondescript looking their paper may be, a part of their dignity is their - their beliefs, their thoughts, their faith, their SELF is there! It's but proper for me to respect and give importance to their work congruent to rating each paper well which is only possible if I would give time reading and understanding them. That I did.
Up to now I still have some papers to check. But I never regretted my choice of giving much of my time in reading them. Because now, I understand them better, I know my students better, their struggles and difficulties, hopes and dreams are not anymore foreign to me. With them I'm more in-love with teaching, they are making me look forward and yearn for our next meeting, next discussion, and next reflection paper to check.
Indeed, the teacher, still, learns from his students.
(TVET - Technical Vocational Education and Training)
Labels: an attempt, introspection
