Teachers nowadays are facing the most difficult part of their professions. From the time they passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET), they have to undergo various processes in order to be employed in the teaching profession. They have to submit their credentials to the Principal/ School Head in the school they are applying. The goal is to be included in the Registry of Qualified Applicants (RQA). In short they have to pass “in the eye of the needle” considering the facts that there are hundreds and hundreds of applicants in the whole division.
Once hired, most are assigned to the far flung mountainous or in the coastal area in which they have to face different challenges and difficulties. They will experience the rocky, muddy floody trail or even the big waves just to reach their respective station.
Lucky enough for the new teachers who are assigned in their hometown/ cities but just the same they have to face the reality of becoming a teacher as what they choose as their profession. These are the following:
- Child Abuse – They have to be patient enough in dealing with their school children especially the naughty one. They must be careful in applying discipline. They should imply the “No corporal punishment policy”.
- Corruption – They should be careful in asking contribution even if your purpose is for the improvement of your classroom and benefit to the learner because of the “No Collection Policy”.
- Loan Shark – Later on they will discover themselves that their compensation is not enough to sustain their basic needs even though they are single and so with the married teachers or head of the family. This situation leads them to engage in loans both in the government and private lending company, even from the private lending individuals. And when started, it’s hard for them to get out from this “Loan Shark” lending institution because of high and compounded interest.
- Paperworks, Reports and Lesson Planning – Teachers devote most of their time in these kinds of school works, bringing the unfinished reports, lesson plan, instructional materials at home, working on them up to 12 midnight onwards before going to sleep that sometimes result to misunderstanding between husband and wife, thinking that their marital obligations are neglected. Most of the teachers suffer stress and high blood pressure, especially during the monitoring and evaluation, creating more wrinkles on their forehead.
Maiden teachers sometimes neglect the love life because of their devotion in teaching they find “No Time for Love” and without knowing that they are already in the old maid stage.
- School District and Division Contribution – Due to the fact that most of the teachers are receiving a very little take home pay and others are experiencing salary deficit due to over loan and pawned ATM, bonuses and other benefits are already in cash advances, still teachers are not excused to pay their contribution mandated by the School District and Division.
The aforementioned are only some of the sacrifices of teachers. They will discover more of these as long as they are in the profession. But the most important is . . . . you love your profession and ready to accept all the consequences, challenges, sacrifices of becoming a teacher.
We are not discouraging our incoming brothers and sisters in the profession, but we are giving them a bird’s eye view on the profession they have chosen.
Published and Owned by: ALICIA A. LARGO, TEACHER III- Florentino C. Versoza Elementary School