The ministry of teaching

What is my understanding of the ministry of teaching? I consider it a calling or a mission, a response to service. It means making myself available to others to become a person in the true image of God, the original teacher.

Having been in the teaching profession for many years, I can say that I have become more involved and deeply committed to teaching. I feel that teaching has become my mission in life-a mission that God has chosen for me. On my part this has not been very difficult to do. Ever since I can remember, I have always loved teaching. I therefore consider this inherent love for teaching an advantage over the others who just drifted into this profession.

I also consider teaching as a matter of relationship with my fellow teachers, the need to grow with them, to work with them. I realized that educating the youth is a joint undertaking of the school community — not just by one teacher, nor by the faculty members of one department. For example, teaching correct English to students is the responsibility not only of the English Department but also that of all other teachers in school. Hand in hand, we join forces to give students a well-rounded education in an atmosphere of a true Christian community. To achieve this end, the faculty must grow together, be together, communicate with one another, be active and true members of the community. What are some concrete ways of doing this? In Xavier for instance, teachers of one department hardly know those of other departments. How can there be effective communication? How can teachers keep in the touch with one another? How can we join forces in educating students? This the College can do by holding/organizing regular socials for them, conducting regular retreats and other activities that will allow teachers to unwind themselves — e.g. organizing choral groups, drama groups, sports clubs, etc. Or when one department organizes a seminar, the Chair should not hesitate to call on the other department to help.

I also consider teaching as a matter of relationship with my students. This means touching their souls and lives. In doing so, I see a little of Christ in themselves. Its means discovering small miracles going on in my student’s lives.

It is in teaching that I am given the rare privilege and honor to be a part of the students’ growing up process. Whether I like it or not, I am instrumental in inculcating values into their young and pliant minds. So when I teach grammar and literature to my students, I don’t stop with their mastery of subject and verb, with their knowledge, of the elements of poetry and short story, but I include in my discussion some values that could make them better persons. This I do by letting them discuss their significant human experiences, for I realize that my duty as a teachers goes beyond the four walls of the classrooms.

In teaching I deal with human beings with widely diverging backgrounds, with different stories to tell, day in and day out. My students make me happy, they make me sad, they make me angry. They irk me, they amuse me – with all these varied feelings and emotions, I can’t help but feel totally alive and in love with life. No account of cudgels from others could make me turn my back on teaching. It is true that nobody gets rich in teaching, but I’m still all for it. And even if a long- lost relative would appear out of nowhere to give me a P5 million share of his inheritance, I would still report to school at 7:30 in the morning for my first period English class.

Lourdes Gonzales Tolod, PhD, is Xavier University’s Dean of School of Education and professor in the Graduate School.