What Teaching Has Taught Me

I wanted to be a writer. There was nothing on my mind but to play around and create a masterpiece thru the written word.

English was my forte’, my cup of tea as they say. And speaking and writing it was neither a big deal nor a challenge. Yeah! I know I would sound like an airhead. But believe it or not, this language to me was almost second nature. And I thought, why not use my talent or skills and earn from it? Seemed like a piece of cake.
But it wasn’t.

For many years, I struggled to be accepted as a writer but failed. I knew I had the knack for it yet there weren’t too many believers. I was so depressed I almost took my life, then I remembered one of my college classmates telling me that I would be a good teacher but I said, “No, that’s farthest from my mind.

Then by the stroke of luck and favor from the Lord, I got a break as a teacher. And I learned to love it; in fact, I breathe and live to teach. And you might ask why.

Teaching taught me about the people I work for, my students. But more than that, Teaching has helped me to discover a lot of things about myself. Yes, I deliver my lessons in the most systematic, scientific and structured way possible, but my most favorite subject of all, guesses what? is LIFE itself.

So what have I really learned as a teacher? First, that it is so much gratifying to share what you have and know that being selfish with what you can offer is a waste of opportunities. Why won’t you take a chance to make a difference in the lives of others? That is not only a privilege. That is a gift. Second, as a teacher, I have mastered the art of tolerance, of patience that never runs dry even when I’m almost going insane with students who swear that they’re going to make my life a living hell. And because I chose to stand on my ground and respect who they are and what they believe in, I got the same respect I gave them.

Lastly, teaching taught me more about my Purpose. This noble profession surprisingly led me to learn how to pray for others and to understand that no matter how indifferent people are at times, we are all the same. We dream the same dreams, laugh at the same jokes, cry at the same soap operas and we go through the same problems like everyone else, and the best way we could show how much we care is through prayer.

That prayer is what made me realize that I too was a good person because I have the capacity to think less of myself and more of others. Oftentimes, when I go to church, I pray for my students, asking dear God to spare them with the same mishaps that I went thru. The first time I did that I was surprised at myself. Have I really been a changed woman or was it all temporary? Ironically, it wasn’t. Not only did I pray for my students, I have widened my reach by praying for my family, relatives, friends, acquaintances and everyone else. And I never get tired of it even when my own prayers were not answered. They say God has a better plan. I used to resent that. But now, I’ve become a big fan of that cliché’ and all because the Lord had lead me to a better path, one that was never part of the dreams I have created for myself but rather a bigger vision board that He had been preparing for me. Yes, I may not be the full pledged writer that I have always wanted to be, but being the Teacher that I am today made me write a more beautiful story that would never have an ending as long as my love for teaching and my passion to share a part of who I am to my students and those I care for would thrive on.

Read:

1. Why Teachers should Travel?
2. Heneral Luna (2015) Movie Review

Featured Image: Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme in the Philippines [1]