Issues and Trends and Problems in Education in the Phil

Western Mindanao State University
College of education
GRADUATE STUDIES
Zamboanga City

TOPIC: A SERIES OF CHOICES CALLED TEACHING
AUTHOR: JOAN ROCAFORT VALENZUELA
Philippine Daily Inquirer
6:30 pm | Monday, July 22nd, 2013
REACTOR: REV. FR. ELMER G. SUMILE
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SUBMITTED TO: DR. ROBERTO TORRES

I. INTRODUCTION
A teacher 's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.. ~Author Unknown
Projecting oneself from the given chosen vocation is a tedious endeavor. Bu most often they are rewarding. For veteran teachers, they would really testify that their own lives is a living testament of their sacrifices and wisdom. What they acquire in life are the product of intertwining circumstances – from a given painful mistake to great blessing to remember. The very prize that the teachers hold on to are their students. Oh, you could see their faces the pride and the smiles reminiscing those days of molding their neophytes.
A teacher becomes a person f importance in the lives of their students when they impart lifelong learnings that has hard time finding its grounding in textbooks. Experiences are the best teachers. When teachers have the most of experiences, that teacher really becomes a major part in the lives and career of the student. No wonder an inner debt of gratitude is ever forgotten.

II. TOPIC / CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSION
“Who I am today as an evolving nomadic teacher cannot be divorced from the varying terrains, with their changing atmospheres,”
“Had I stayed put, life would have been a lot simpler and more secure.”

“teaching is about constant navigating of unknown waters, exploring foreign terrains, seeking new ways to permeate the multilayered and deeply cultural dimensions of teaching.
I am learning. I am changing. I am becoming.”

III. REFLECTION
“Teaching for me really isn’t just a profession. It is a vocation. It requires self-sacrifice, and being able to offer oneself for the sake of the students.”… “Teaching is a calling”. These are just some expressions of individuals who have been teaching for so long. From the time they got their degrees and later got involve in actual teaching, there was a transitions – profession to vocation; from obligations to dedication; from mere four walls of the classrooms to the vast environment around.
I believe this is what happened to the author of the given article. She has gone to many places. May be because there were opportunities. But at first glance of her composition, I immediately reacted: she is not at home in her decisions. She kept changing and changing schools. Personal inclinations cannot be taken for granted cause the effectivity of once ability defended on how comfortable one is in the work place. Yet, what is so appealing is that, she was able to realize later on, that the series of choices had brought her back home - a home in which she has got to love for the rest of her life. Being nomadic. In the Golden Age of Philosophy, the most prominent strategies of teaching was being itinerant. The ‘rabbi’ bring his students around on actual places/sites of objects being discussed. There was hands on grasping of knowledge that remains vivid in the senses of the students. That is why now a days, the best strategies being imparted in certain institutions are related to actual experiences. Simplicity of life. The author is able to comprehend the possibility of a contented life if she has chosen not to travel around. True enough. I could imagine her desire to settle in things which are just there to accept. But, she ventured more. As a young and idealist person of enormous quest for new frontier, she remain simple in her teaching profession. In her words alone I don’t see some regret. “Had I stayed put, life would have been a lot simpler and more secure.” I am convinced that she said this just to emphasized the possibilities of her choices without having doubt. “Risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”
This is what Leo Buscaglia wrote. The author risks in her learning process which has led her to become a person who can adopt to changes. There must have been the difficulty of adjusting to new environment and dealing with people of different cultures and personalities. The bottom line of risking is the acquisition of new knowledge base factual experiences which cannot be taken for granted in life.
Finally, I would like to quote: “Even with the best of educational policy and design and the expenditure of colossal sums of money for education, the ultimate realisation of any set of aims for education depends on the TEACHER, as he will ultimately be responsible for translating policy into action and principles into practice in his interactions with his students [http://www.uniben.edu/inaugurals/reflections-becoming-teacher-and-challenges-teacher-education]. Indeed, worth noting. These words are but providential as to the importance of teacher. They are the implanters. They are the ones living the very visions of the given schools. But unknown to many, the abilities and passion to teaching came about after several series of choices – a process of struggling to find the most contented endeavors in life. The multiplicity of layers of events, people and cultures have somehow brought the best in the very person to appreciate more ih his or chosen profession, or should I say vocation.

IV. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION
Life entails series of choices. Learning never stops after graduation. We are to evolve as individuals who would risk along the way in order to comprehend the very best there is to offer. The author of the article came to realize the very significance of synergies of experiences that led her to conclude that her profession entailed the never ending journey of meeting many people of different personalities, cultures and backgrounds and having traverse different terrains and islands.
I appreciate much her conclusion: “I am learning. I am changing. I am becoming.” Each of us needs to embrace these realities. Life is a never ending series of learning. We hope that this new acquisitions of knowledge will lead us to changing……for the better or best. The best that we can. Along the way, there is a berth of newness and wider perspective in life. But one thing for sure is that, we must love what we are doing and where we are going. Cause in the series of choices, there come upon the struggle to endeavor to circumstance which are inherent in the choices that we make. At the end point, what is important is the contentment in all that we do, matters most

V. REFERENCES 1. http://www.uniben.edu/inaugurals/reflections-becoming-teacher-and-challenges-teacher-education 2. http://www.uniben.edu/sites/default/files/inaugural_lectures/prof_j.o_Afe1.pdf 3. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/reflections-on-teaching-mistakes-ive-made/ 4. http://jaylordlosabia.blogspot.com/2012/03/reflections-on-teaching.html 5. http://randallbutisingh.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/teaching-is-a-vocation/

References: 1. http://www.uniben.edu/inaugurals/reflections-becoming-teacher-and-challenges-teacher-education 2. http://www.uniben.edu/sites/default/files/inaugural_lectures/prof_j.o_Afe1.pdf 3. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/faculty-development/reflections-on-teaching-mistakes-ive-made/ 4. http://jaylordlosabia.blogspot.com/2012/03/reflections-on-teaching.html 5. http://randallbutisingh.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/teaching-is-a-vocation/