'My teacher, my hero'

Ondoy and Pepeng are nature’s way of reminding us in increasingly harsher manner of our almost criminal neglect of the environment. As the nation continues to be jolted by the extent of the loss of lives and damage to property inflicted by these violent storms, my mind races back to our grade school years especially to our teachers, how they instilled in us the beauty of our natural surroundings, the importance of cleanliness as “next to Godliness”, the necessity of taking care of every living and growing things, and most especially the significance and value of tree planting for the preservation of our environment.

Hence next to our parents, our teachers played an important role in the great care and respect we had for our surroundings. During those growing years we loved the outdoors and open fields and we enjoyed playing in shady wooded areas, climbing trees and swimming in clean rivers and streams. We learned to appreciate and cherish them mainly because of what our teachers taught us inside and required us to do outside the classrooms.

I am sure teachers of today perform the same role and are also inculcating in our children, the same values our generation had acquired about nature and our surroundings. Obviously, their present tasks are relatively more difficult because of onset of modern technologies like TVs and computers that force children to stay indoors than play outdoors, thus seriously hampering their efforts to teach our youth those same values. Needless to say this attitude on the part of the present high tech generation contributes a lot to the growing neglect of the environment.

Nevertheless, as particularly shown during the last deadly disasters that hit us, teachers still continue to prove how instrumental they are in shaping the future of our country in many other aspects. There is no doubt that teachers played a big role in forming those sterling characters of courage, resiliency, kindness and generosity and in implanting that community or Bayanihan spirit among our countrymen especially the youth as they tried to rescue and extend assistance to their kababayans in distress and danger. It cannot be denied that the many selfless and heroic acts of love, care and concern shown by Filipinos one of whom, a teenager, even gave up his life to save so many others, are admirable traits acquired and nurtured not only at home with their family but also in the classrooms with their teachers.

Actually there are also many scenes after Ondoy and Pepeng showing teachers themselves responding above and beyond the call of duty not only by immediately taking steps to save and protect the facilities of their schools, clean up the muddied and flooded classrooms for the earliest return of their students, but also by participating or leading in the relief and rescue operations. They are in effect demonstrating that they practice what they teach; and that the best way to teach is by example.  

The teachers are therefore also among the un-acclaimed heroes in our midst today. Unfortunately they are one of the most neglected professions in our society. And this is specifically true of the public school teachers whose salaries could not even sustain a hand to mouth existence, thereby forcing them to borrow money at prohibitive cost or become OFWs doing menial jobs. They certainly do not deserve such ignoble treatment. The least we can do is to: recognize and appreciate the unique role and service that they play in “guiding families, strengthening communities and building the nation”; revitalize the image of teaching as a vocation by increasing public awareness on the value of teachers in Philippine society and national development; and affirm their noble work by providing value added service or discounts to them whether still active or retired with the help and support of a chain of business establishments.

Fortunately as early as 1993 the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) already initiated and fixed October 5 of every year as “World Teachers Day” to give honor to teachers and recognize the “central role they play in guiding children, youths and adults through the life-long learning process”.

Here in the Philippines, in July 2008, a “Teachers’ Month Campaign” was conceived by the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI), De La Salle Philippines (DLS), Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) and Campaigns Social Response with the special participation of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the support of key business institutions.

For this year 2009, the Teachers’ Month Campaign was launched during Metrobank’s 47th anniversary celebration last September 4, 2003 highlighted by the awarding of this year’s MBFI’s Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT). It was supposed to culminate last October 5, 2009 which is the World Teachers’ Day. But due to the tragic and damaging disasters that hit our country, the Teachers’ Month Campaign was extended up to October 31, 2009 with a most fitting and timely theme: “My Teacher, My Hero!”

For those of us who were students once, now is the time to thank God for our teachers and silently say “thank you” to a teacher who comes to mind and has made a difference in our lives whether still in this world or has crossed into eternity. If business establishments and media have set aside and played up a special Mother’s and Father’s Day and lately even “Grandparents’ Day” they could also commemorate with the same hype October 5 as “Teachers’ Day”, offering discounts/freebies or special promos for teachers or featuring stories and articles about teachers. This is also the most appropriate time for students to write a letter, send a card or gift as token of their appreciation for their teachers’ great sacrifice in preparing them for the future. They can let others know by sending a thank you note to www.teachersday.ph.

The government on the other hand should address the plight of the public school teachers and look into their most pressing needs particularly by coming up with a compensation package that would no longer compel them to seek better paying albeit menial jobs elsewhere.

We can remember them in so many ways, anytime, anywhere but it is also good to set aside a particular day and particular month to honor our teachers, our heroes.

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