One’s destination is never a place
but a new way of seeing things.
– Henry Miller –
but a new way of seeing things.
– Henry Miller –
Some experiences in life can be so traumatic when it does not turn out to be as expected. It can hit a person so hard that it can be traumatic. But some take it as a lesson learned and move on to be better persons after.
I was an Early Childhood Special Educator in the Philippines for almost 7 years. Probably one of the best, which could be the reason why I was directly hired by my school district from the Philippines to join the working force of Educators here in the US. I have no regrets, I am now experiencing the best (and the worst) of being a teacher in the American Educational System.
I was ecstatic when I got my petition papers from my school district and the Notice of Action from the Department of Justice of America. The realization of the “American Dream” and the thought of working with the American Educational System, where the Philippines pattern from their Educational System, is a big achievement for me.
The Professional Development which I was longing for when I was still back home was very much fulfilled by my school district since day one. And I was having so much more than what was expected. I became a Teacher Consultant in less than a year and I was sent as a delegate to the National Convention (National Council for Teachers of English and the National Writing Project). It was a big achievement for me seeing the "big wigs" of American Teaching Profession. Then I was appointed as the Technology Liaison for a professional Teacher's Organization (where I am a fellow).
But I was expecting so much more. I was expecting myself to be in a place or school like in feel-good movies that I watched such as “The Emperor’s Club”. They never showed the reality there. I am in an inner-city school and the reality is very well depicted in the movie 'Dangerous Minds".
I work in one of the best Middle Schools here in Washington DC and am very thankful for having supportive administrators and a school atmosphere and colleagues that challenge me to be the best neophyte teacher as I can be.
But what frustrates and saddens me are my students. I wish someone has told me exactly these words during my first few weeks:
-- do not go into something like this thinking that idealism can get you through 7 hours a day of chaos for two years. (and PLEASE do NOT go into your school with the "I'm going to be the one to make a difference with the kids" attitude....think it, but dont' say it. It will completely alienate the other teachers who have been on the front lines for years -- they are your number one allies, best confidantes, and you need them on your side!)
The kids will hate you but they will love you. They will test you and test you and test you and you will never earn their trust -- but you have to know that you are making a difference in their lives. And you are doing a good thing. And they will disrespect you and hit you and scream at you. And then you will take a day off and they will cry because you aren't going to be there tomorrow -- those are the tiny sneaky moments you have to grab and remember during your "I quit" fantasies. ( Teachers.net / bulletin board)
But I understand that some of my students face considerable challenges in their lives outside school and most often come from the most difficult backgrounds. Truly, my experiences here are making a big difference in my life not just as a teacher but as a person. But despite all these (which is true to any first-time teachers, not just to me) I am still determined to make a difference in the lives of these children. I am lucky because I armed myself with knowledge about Emotional Disorders, ADHD and Conduct Disoders while taking my MA in Clinical Psychology at the University of the Philippines. I have the advantage compared to most of the newbies in the profession.
Time will come when another teacher will replace me as a neophyte. Time will come when my students will see me as an authority figure in the halls of the schools. I believe that tough times never last but tough people do.
30 comments:
yan ang idol ko. yheey nauna akong nag comment!
teacher sol, napakabuting nyong tao, ipagpatuloy nyo lang po ang nasimulan nyo.
Sol, youre doing a great job! Those kids, sometimes they dont know theyre behaving that way, its beyond their control. I know youre more than an expert in handling situations like these. Im proud of you..youve gone through challenges as far as teaching these behaviour-challenged kids, and you always come through it..you never gave up..just keep doing it girl, they need you.. take care :-)
One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.
Basta keep on holding to what u believe and God will show u the right way.
I can imagine and relate to your frustation Teacher Sol. Kumpara sa naranasan ko sa situation mo ngayon talagang napakalaking sakripisyo at adjustment ang pinagdaraanan mo. You are in a foreign soil, with special children as you' re pupil, and from an owner administrator of a pre-school back home you are now under a supervision of head teacher or school administrator. Despite this odds you have achieved a lot and I admire you for this. Ipagpatuloy mo mam ang iyong pagpupunyagi at dalhin mo ng taas noo ang dangal ng isang gurong Pilipino.
Teacher Sol, being a teacher is a lot of things to everyone. And most of the time, it means giving a part of yourself to those you teach. We are proud of you and your achievements are the Filipinos' own too!
ang pagtuturo pa lang sa mga "normal" na bata, mahirap na, ano pa kaya sa mga batang may special needs? minsan maski kalusugan at kaligtasan mo, namimiligro.
i wouldn't have minded having a colleague like you but i know you are where you should really be - in the classrooom making a difference in each of your students' lives.
that's the filipino spirit. its what sets us apart from other people. despite the turmoils happening in our homeland... the pinoy strives to survive and make a difference in this world.
keep up the good work there teacher sol. :)
And that's why I call you Great Teacher Sol (started out as a pun, but now I'm hoping it sticks).
;)
Frankly, I do believe that part of what you're experiencing here is a third generation of kids who have not been properly minded by their parents (each generation being less fortunate than the previous) and thus finding their "niche" outside the family.
The basic unit of society has to be the place where someone grows as a person, not the place where he gets torn down.
They tend to take their frustrations elsewhere... and to other people...
--- end incoherent rant ---
Apir Great Teacher Sol!
It is truly tough to deal with kids how have been ignored and never experienced parental love. I don't think anyone can simply walk in like pied piper and expect everyone to dance to the music. You need to have proper training in psychology to be able to handle these immature minds. It makes it incredibly difficult because they are minors, under the age of accountability, and they can't be legally held responsible for most of their actions. Here in Canada the Young Offenders Act even prohibits names of anyone under age 18 committing a crime to be published in newspapers. They have certain rights they enjoy and the hard part is, some of them consciously exploit them.
They say it is difficult to change people but you can channel them your way. For these kids however, the real goal is to change them, not just having a good social relationship with them. You may have your hands full on this one Teacher Sol, but if you are able to handle them, you should be able to handle anyone!
KA URO, contest pa pala ang nangyari dito sa entry ko, haha. Oy idol, sensya na madalang ang blog-hopping ko ngayon. Babawi ako, promise yan...
DARKBLAK, email me, may suggestion ako para sayo *wink* Ikaw pala ay nakarating na pati sa International teachers network FORUM natin sa PTN ha...
HONEYPOOH, yep, most people with ADHD or any behaviorally challenged kids don't know what they are doing at the moment they do the act. It's too late for them to know the consequences and be sorry for them. The sad part there is teeneagers don't outgrow ADHD/ ADD or any bahavioral disorders. And they look normal, they can be in the mainstream, they look like regular people. But for them symptoms often present lifelong challenges. When they grow old, they often find a career that is compatible with their personality so symptoms don't present problems in the workplace, symptoms become less severe with age, or the adult learns to compensate.
KADYO, new commenter, welcome to my "cyber classroom". Feel free to discuss with us and let us know your thoughts. I hope to get your website URL too. so I can visit you next time. Thank you for the kind words.
GOYONG, actually, I like it better as an employee than as an administrator, hehehe :D I am so thankful to have the curiosity to keep learning. I am grateful to see opportunity knock so often. I am so thankful to have the personality to keep making new friends (tulad mo). I count my blessings. The world is a better place because I think positive. We all can too...
WATSON, Thanks WatsOn. Your picture makes you look more respectable, parang heneral ah :D Seriously, some people go into teaching because it is a job. Some people go into teaching to make a difference. Cheers to us Pinoy Teachers who belong to the latter.
NIKKI, "minsan maski kalusugan at kaligtasan mo, namimiligro." TRUE. Ilang beses na akong nakatanggap ng death threat sa mga estudyante ko; at araw-araw ako nakakatanggap ng pagmumura sa kanila. HAY! Pero ganyan talaga sila. Ilang beses na rin akong nakatanggap ng "hello, how r u doing" emails sa kanila (ako nga pala nagturo sa kanila gumamit ng email technology), at mga surprising "you're the best teacher" sa kanila. Sweet noh? I count those times na sweet sila sakin, na minsan hina-hug nila ako. Mas madalas namumura ako parati, di ko na yon itinatanim sa memories ko...ganyan lang para maka-survive.
PAO, there are people who push fellow-Filipinos up and inspire them to do better. You're one of the few people I know who don't have the "crab mentality".
DRE, well said about parental responsibility and the importance of family values. Forty to fifty percent of all children with ADHD/ADD or any emotional problems have at least one parent and thirty percent have a sibling with the condition. Namamana nila yan. Kadalasan nakikita ko may symptoms din ang mga parents nila.
BW, True also that children sometimes abuse the legal rights given to them Sad, huh. Teachers aren't allowed to touch them, but what can teachers do when they do something to us, like tell lies about us? happened to me many times that my students told lies about me, that I abused them physically, verbally or mentally. Hay! The best protection was to document everything. It's really difficult. Especially when these behaviors that these kids have are linked with deficits in neurotransmitters, causing problems at home and in school. I am not a psychiatrist but at least I have a strong background in psychology, which helps me a lot in understanding of human behavior.
tALAGAng saludo ako sa mga pinoy teachers.... Not because my aunts were teacher too... THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON TEACHERS, ikanga....
alive, alive, fionski is alive! hey! fionski is alive! ho! fionski is alive! hey! :D
Hi Teacher Sol!
palagi akong nagbabasa ng mga entries mo, ngayon lang ako makakapag leave ng comment..hehehe and it's so nice to know that you really love what you’re doing(bihira kasi ang ganyan eh, yung love yung ginagawa nila..hehehe), it’s like you really found your true calling in life! Good luck and keep up the good work and may god always guide and bless you so you can bless others. Have a good day po!
i salute thee to the unsung heroes of today.
*salute*
mabuhay ka, titser!
mahirap nga maging teacher but its fun =)
bilib talaga ako sa galing mo =)
Couldn't have said it better myself. Besides, God doesn't give problems that we can't take. :-)
Hi Teach. Cheers! :-)
despite all the obstacles and the let downs in your profession you still define every moment you have.. kudos to you, teacher sol!
Teacher Sol, you're starting to convince me to go back to my teaching profession. I just asked my wife last night if I could pickup part-time teaching positions at a local college. Unfortunately, she just accepted another extra job at the hospital. If both of us have double jobs, quality time for our kids will be jeopardized. I was invited to teach about 2 years ago. A client of mine happened to be a college instructor. He asked me if I could share my knowledge through teaching. Kaya lang, I didn't like the subject they offered me to teach. Besides, H1B pa ako noon. It was illegal for me to work for other employers. For now, I'll just concentrate on my music, ahem... :-)
Congratulations Teacher Sol. Is there a school institution in the U.S. that specializes with kids with Angelman syndrome? Kindly advise. Thank you.
RICHARD, I am glad to hear that. Please support the teachers, they were with you almost half your life...
KAREN, I am also proud of you girl, kolumnista ka na, wag mo kaming kakalimutan ha. Hay, the benefits of blogging. Ganyan pala para madiscover ka, magsulat ka ng makatotohanan, galing sa puso, at nakakaaliw sa mga mambabasa...
FIONSKY, glad to have you here again! I got so busy as you, buti nalang naka-draft na ang entries ko at publish nalang ako every other day. Parang may time pa sa blogging ano? hehe...
NOEMI, it’s like you really found your true calling in life! HAY! Though teaching special ed children is very difficult, it's very rewarding.
SILENTMODE_V2 (JEFF), salamat din sa iyo. Importante din na bigyang papuri ang mga sumusuporta sa mga guro tulad ninyo. We also have to remind ourselves that when we speak of unsung heroes, hindi lang mga guro yan, marami pang iba tulad ng nurses, caregivers, etc...
LANEE, I know you know what you are saying *wink* I'm glad to be working with you sa Pinoy Teachers Network.
RONALLAN, I would like to share my guiding principle in life which keeps me going despite the barriers: "YOUGH TIMES NEVER LAST BUT TOUGH PEOPLE DO.
DUKE, My students & I are always in a love-hate relationship. But in order to survive I treasure the times that they love me.
JOHN CLARK, Thanks for letting me know that I inspire you too. I also salute your wife being one of the unsung heroes. I am glad to hear that it's still your plan to go back to teaching, maybe someday. You love teaching, how lucky your kids are to have a teacher as their father.
DIGITAL FILIPINO, first time in my blog, welcome. please don't hesitate to let us know what you think about my entries, join us in our discussions. I am so grateful to be working with you and I am excited with Sun.Star Blog Chronicles. I belive in the potentials of that community blog. About your question, I promise to get back to that very very soon, and I will let you know *wink* I have to research on one of the good institutions to refer to you :D
You're doing a great job, SOL! We are all so proud of all that you have accomplished and i am sure you have made such a big difference in your student's lives!!!!!!!!!!!
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