Teacher’s indispensable role

Nobody says it’s easy to be a teacher. Teaching should only be for those who have the character for it. Otherwise, the future will be carved by the hands of the unfit.

Take the case of a Grade 5 student in Antipolo who died after his teacher allegedly slapped him.

Francis Gumikib, 14, a student of Peñafrancia Elementary School, told his family that his teacher slapped him on September 21 this year. He was later brought to a hospital, where he had internal bleeding in his brain. He went into a coma and eventually died.

The suspect, Mirasol Sison, denied the allegation, saying she did not slap the victim and only patted the boy’s face. That the boy went into a coma because his face was just patted is beyond me.

This is not the first time that we heard of a teacher’s abuse. There have been countless incidents, ranging from physical abuse to emotional to sexual.

Those who aspire to teach should be more than just passers of the board exam in their chosen profession. Their emotional background should be rigorously checked. We cannot have teachers who have a homicidal bent.

I know there are many great teachers around, but there are also bad eggs who should be dealt with accordingly. I said at the start that nobody says it’s easy to be a teacher because to be one you have to be a role model. There is that kind of impact, negative or positive, in the lives of students or pupils that teachers have on their students. And such impact is etched in the latter’s heart and soul longer than one can imagine.

Unfortunately, some teachers make their students their milking cows via a collection of illegal contributions, grades for sale, etc.

Some like to heap verbal abuse on their students, taking advantage of the fact that many students rarely stand up to their teachers for fear of failing in the subject. There is a difference between challenging the students to do their best and breaking their morale.

I am told that students these days are far different from the courteous students of yesteryears. I agree. Different generations have different challenges. That is why a teacher must rise to the challenge. There is always a way of doing things without violating the law.

It is also vital that a teacher can manage a classroom. A mismanaged classroom will be a disaster for both the teachers and students.

Let us remember that, generally, students look up to their teachers. No wonder many students still talk about their great teachers decades after they left the classroom. Their class reunions will be empty and meaningless without the presence of the people who shaped them.

Imagine a society filled with great teachers! Society will become kinder and better.