 |
| Teachers frown at DepEd's Smile Policy | Photo by AP |
A grumpy teacher who constantly
makes a fuss about everything defective in our educational system – from the
dilapidated conditions of schools, meagre pay, up to unruly, inattentive students
– breeds a generation of students that are contemptuous towards studying and positive
thinking. While there are students who are mature enough not to be dragged down
by a terror teacher’s daily sermons, such acts can be demeaning and
demoralizing to many students who come from poor backgrounds and challenging
mental capabilities. Terror teachers breed disenfranchised, cynical citizens
who do not give a damn about their own progress, and do not believe in the
alleviation of their condition. Classes with terror teachers are breeding
grounds for criminals, terrorists, and felons in the future.
A terror teacher is one of the
glaring evidences of a traditional,
teacher-centered education which still dominates our educational system in
the Philippines. We are lucky to be in a new administration whose reformist
agenda is aimed at deconstructing this traditional, potentially lethal setup.
Just few of the approaches to reforming the educational system is the new K-12 Basic Education Curriculum, the
use of the Understanding by Design
approach to lesson planning, and more recently, the DepEd memorandum
encouraging teachers to smile in class and avoid frowning at students.
Every good idea will have the
usual, opposite reaction. So-called “progressive”
teacher groups are quick to dismiss the idea of smiling in class as
ridiculous, given the circumstances faced by teachers and students alike. Their
united disapproval extends as well to the rest of the new measures being
implemented by the reformist Bro. Armin
Luistro. Their point: how can teachers smile in class if they cannot be
given the just compensation for their services, if schools are constantly
congested, and innovation in teaching comes at a snail’s pace? While these points are legitimate and
cannot be dismissed altogether, are these points huge stumbling blocks (let
alone legitimate reasons) for teachers not smile in class?
"I can’t smile in class because my
classroom is cramped and shabby. I can’t smile in class because my students are
a pain in the neck. I can’t smile in class because I’m not being paid enough to
do so. I can’t smile class because the entire educational system is a total
wreck."
Are these alibis even expected of
a reasonable, noble teacher?
While we teachers can demand so
much from our masters, we should also ask: Is teaching about us, teachers, or
the students? A universal, across-the-board frown on DepEd’s Smile Policy is just another glaring evidence of a
traditional, teacher-centered consciousness about education which still
prevails among our teachers, especially in teachers who call themselves “progressive”.
It’s laughable how they call themselves progressive and yet cannot even smile
in the midst of their students.
A student-centered educational system is one which seeks to shift the
focus of learning from teacher to student. In this system, students are not the
ones being pressed to achieve by blindingly shoving down their throats what
teachers ramble about daily. In this system, it’s the teachers who should be
pressed to evaluate themselves, if their means of teaching are indeed
benefiting the student. In this system, students are not being treated as
criminals who need to be reformed from feeble-mindedness. It’s the teachers who
must constantly reform themselves in order to better serve the needs of their
clientele.
While a smile isn’t just what it
takes to totally reform our approach to student learning, a smile is powerful
enough to shed a positive streak of light in students’ hearts, which opens
opportunities for easier, more human means of instruction which they can
appreciate and anticipate throughout their 12 years of schooling. By smiling
more, we are breeding individuals who are positive in their outlook, caring,
active and assertive – the marks of responsible, participative citizens and nation-builders.
If you’re a teacher who smiles in
class in a genuine, heart-felt manner and conviction, you have my respect and
admiration. Kudos to reformist teachers!
