The time has come when educators are no longer treated as the parents' partners to teach the children learn simple life skills, good manners, straight principles and respect to every God's creations.
Where could this come from?
Probably, when "powerful people" (the wealthy and the officials) took their kids to a school and their child complained that he was asked to clean up his lunch pack. Learning this, they storm towards the school and shouted at the teacher, telling her "we do not even ask him to eat by himself, at home, we feed him ourselves" or "we tell him to study hard to earn lots of money that he can PAY people to do things for him."
Or probably when an abusive child of a wealthy family/or official was asked to stand to face the wall after beating his classmates/teasing his classmates, went home and complained to his parents that he felt defeated.
Or maybe even before they sent their kids to school and know how mischievous, abusive and bully their kids are made a way to prevent their kids from being punished by twisting the law and made this "child protection policy" so that no teacher or school worker can reprimand them for misbehaving.
It can also be when the media sensationalised teachers giving "corporal punishment" to a student, judging the "erring" educator without even rooting the reasons behind the action taken.
Yes, you may say that you did not send your kids to school to clean up their
tables, mop the floors, clean the toilets, cook their own food or wash their own clothes, face the wall or stand under the sun, but you sent your kids to partner with the school to teach your kids every possible skills, right manners, theories and laws they can learn that can help them survive in this world even when they no longer have the authority or the money to support them.
Yes, you have money. Loads of money, but until when? Yes, you are in authority. Very high profile in the the community, but until when? Yes, you are alive, providing for your kids, but until when? That is when we, the educators come in to help you to educate your kids learn simple life skills. We take them out of their comfort zones that they may see what it is to live simply.
We take them out of your protective shields that they may know how it is to live in difficult situations, we take them out of your authority that they may learn how to live humbly. When we take them out of your range, we never meant to overpower you, disregard what you have thought to your kids, or subject and expose them to harsh environment. When we take them away with us on a camp or a long trip, we simply want them know how to live by themselves out of their comfort zones, we want them to realize how blessed they are to have a family like you, we simply want them to feel how it is to live in the world as simple as how others live their lives, and lastly, we just want them to apply the theories that we teach them inside the classroom in their real lives.
Sadly, educators now are treated as yayas, househelpers or slaves. We are now being treated as people whom they can shout at when their kids complain about long homework. We are now being finger pointed when their kids failed on their tests. We are now being subject to ridicule when heard of grammatical errors in our speeches or lessons.
Yes, some of us are not as intellectually bright at some of our students' parents. We are not perfect, we err. But don't you too?
We may not be as smart, as rich, as powerful or as famous as you are, but we are willing to spend long hours at night preparing lessons in the morning. We are willing to offer our shoulders to your kids when you are not around to comfort them. We are willing to listen to your kids' very long happy, sad, funny, bitter, scary stories when you are too busy to listen to them. We are willing to give advise to your kids about love, friendships, parental neglect, sibling rivalry and many other things, when you don't have time for them.
We are educators. We teach with all our hearts, with all our strength and with all our souls. We love your kids as much as you do. We are educators. We are not robots. We have feelings too. We are educators. We are also human beings worthy of respect. We also need to be heard and be given chance to explain and not be judged easily. We are educators. We also have our rights!
It is now time to reclaim the respect that we once have. When the educators were highly regarded in the community because then people knew how hard it is to teach and be a second parent to a diverse class. It is now time to reclaim our rights to give discipline to misbehaving kids without being terrorised by angry parents complaining to DepEd even without hearing our reasons for doing so. It is now time to reclaim our dignity as educators, partners for learning and not slaves of the learned.
