by Gilli Aquino and Khalil Rahmad

There’s a fire, quick call ma’am!

Our teachers seem to be the unappreciated firefighters of our community. When you think of a firefighter, you often picture a professional whose job is to extinguish dangerous fires that pose a threat to our safety, protecting people from these hazards. Ranging from incomplete grades to messy class disputes, our teachers have the job to put out these “little fires,” every single day. From sunrise to sunset, our teachers walk in and out of classrooms ready to teach the same lessons, assign the same homework, and check the same quizzes over and over again. Despite all of this, as our teachers arrive home from a day of exhaustion, they are greeted by the outcries of parents and students criticizing them for a job they have done for decades. With all that they do, why are our teachers still the ones put under fire?

Towing the Line: Hate vs. Constructive Criticism

Feedback plays a crucial role in our growth and development. However, if you think about it, has every feedback or criticism that we have given to others in our entire lives helped them improve, or did we merely vent our frustrations on them? It is time to reconsider whether our words are truly fostering positive change. Are we fostering an environment of growth, or merely expressing our discontent? It is important to ensure that our feedback is constructive and encourages meaningful development in others.

Hate can be defined as an intense feeling of aversion, hostility, or animosity towards individuals or groups, often manifesting in negative behaviors and attitudes. In contrast, constructive criticism is intended to provide helpful feedback to promote improvement and growth, characterized by a respectful and supportive tone. Unfortunately, individuals often disguise their underlying hate through the guise of constructive criticism, using it as a shield to justify their unkind remarks. This not only undermines the true essence of constructive feedback but also perpetuates a toxic environment where genuine dialogue and understanding are stifled.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right that enables individuals to voice their thoughts, advocate for change and engage in open discussion. However, this freedom can be abused when individuals use it as a shield to spread hate, misinformation, or personal attacks. This tendency to abuse freedom of speech affects how we perceive both hate and constructive criticism. Instead of fostering constructive dialogue, this abuse creates an environment where disrespect and hostility thrive. Rather than using our voices to uplift and encourage growth, our words are wielded as weapons, forgetting that the essence of free speech should be rooted in respectful discourse and mutual understanding.

Many educators may encounter personal remarks disguised as “feedback,” which can undermine their confidence and effectiveness in the classroom. This blurring of lines may create a toxic environment where valid concerns are overshadowed by malicious intent, leading to increased scrutiny and hostility directed at teachers. Instead of fostering a culture of support and growth, these disguised attacks contribute to a climate of fear and doubt, making it challenging for educators to engage with controversial topics or experiment with innovative teaching methods. It is essential to recognize and address this issue to ensure that feedback serves its intended purpose, promoting professional development and enhancing the educational experience, rather than becoming a tool for personal disparagement. By clearly distinguishing between constructive criticism and harmful remarks, we may create a more supportive atmosphere that empowers teachers and encourages meaningful dialogue.

Choosing kindness in our words is often easier than most of us realize, yet we do not often make that choice. We must use our words to be a pillar to uplift and support each other. Instead of this masked hate we harbor, we should focus on giving each other praises and words of encouragement.

Fallacy of Fairness

In the midst of stress, as students, it is common to point the finger at our teachers when things get tough. With the piles of work being distributed by each teacher, some students may jump to the assumption that their teachers are actively trying to make them fail. While these may be true in some rare cases, it is not fair to assume too quickly. We often overlook the fact that, just like students, our teachers face heavy workloads and constant pressure. Just as we have multiple subjects to balance, our teachers have multiple classes to teach.

A grade 12 chemistry teacher adds to this, “I think one misconception students may have is that teachers want their students to fail by putting them through inconvenient tasks.” He explains, “Majority of teachers are extremely disheartened when they see students fail. While we cannot make a subject easier all the time, there are moments when we need to put our foot down because a topic is important.”

Double standards between teachers and students often arise from the fact that most students may not always take the time to consider the perspective of teachers or try to understand their intentions. As a student, having to juggle these “inconvenient tasks,” may feel burdensome at times, especially with the amount of classes most students have. While this exhaustion is completely valid, creating the baseless assumption that teachers do this out of pure mal-intent is unfair. 

On the other hand, the same grade 12 chemistry teacher described the pure joy he felt after witnessing the comeback of some of his students who were failing his class. “Seeing them literally jumping for joy after seeing that they passed is truly priceless,” he expressed.

Our teachers are not there to put us down, rather they are here to mold us into becoming the best possible versions of ourselves, even when it is challenging. As students we may feel as if it’s us against the world at times and it is easy to see why. However we often forget the joy and pride that we receive after achieving a high grade is felt just as much by our teachers as they watch us succeed. 

Rather than viewing tasks as mere inconveniences, a shift in perspective can reveal them as avenues for growth. As students, it may be difficult to always hold this outlook amid the stress of our busy schedules, and that is completely reasonable; slapping on a positive attitude does not always make it easier. This is exactly why building a mutual understanding between teachers and students is essential.  For students, this means appreciating the purpose behind assignments from their teachers’ perspective, while for teachers, it involves understanding why students may see these tasks as burdensome, given their already heavy workload. When there is a mutual understanding of intention and perspective, it lessens these misunderstandings and builds support for both to grow even further. Though the path to success is challenging, we don’t have to walk it alone

Behind the Blackboard

As children, many of us believed that our teachers lived in school and that their whole lives revolved solely around teaching. While we have since outgrown this belief, as students, we still sometimes forget that our teachers are not inherently perfect. Their struggles, while not visibly apparent, definitely exist and are sometimes overlooked by students. 

A grade 11 Catholic Social Teachings and Personal Development (CSTPD) teacher shared, “The common misconception I’ve observed that society has for teachers is that we must be perfect and hard to reach. I think it’s proper to have high expectations for competence and character as we are role models to the future of society.” She explained, “However, high expectations doesn’t necessarily mean perfection as it entails that we are the sage of the stage other than a facilitator who guides and who also learns with their students.”

The same grade 12 chemistry teacher expressed his struggle when it comes to keeping up with the workload and tight deadlines that come along with it, “I end up spending entire evenings working on lesson plans, finalizing presentation slides and managing tasks as a class moderatorI,” he explained. Additionally, he adds that it is usually worse after days when he teaches several classes as he has to complete all these tasks with the feeling of exhaustion.

Despite the fatigue and pressures they face in their jobs, our teachers continue to enter the classroom with warm smiles, ready to teach every single morning. The idea that they may be facing their own internal challenges may completely fly over our heads. To have the strength to show up every day and not let these struggles affect their role as a teacher is something extremely admirable about our dear educators.

Indeed, students and teachers both possess their fair share of exhausting late nights and tight deadlines, which is exactly why fostering empathy and respect must be something that goes both ways. Most teachers do sympathize with the difficulty of students in having to balance all these assignments hence why they may extend deadlines from time to time. However, as students, we must also consider the fact that this is not something they can do every single time as they have their own deadlines to meet as well. Little compromises and considerations such as this have the ability to make the lives of both students and teachers a lot easier. 

Lessons in Sacrifice 

For all the hard work, exhaustion, and pressure that our teachers face, does the compensation that they receive truly reflect their rigorous work ethic?

In the Philippines, teachers are undervalued, which is evident in their salaries. 93.3% of the teaching personnel of The Department of Education (DepEd) receive a salary below the P33,000 family living wage and below the P42,000 monthly cost of living, as set by the National Economic Development Authority. This is even worse for private school teachers, as most earn less than their public school counterparts. In a survey conducted by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers Private Schools, it was found that more than three in five private school teachers are given a salary lower than the entry-level salary given to a public school teacher, which is set at P27,000. Due to this, there are those who choose to move abroad to receive higher pay and improve their standard of living, as evidenced by a report from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration stating that from 2013 to 2017, an average of 1,500 teachers opted to go abroad every year.

The low income received by teachers has been a prevalent issue in the Philippines. It is often said that “no amount of money can truly pay for what teachers do.” Yet, this line is often misused to justify the unfair working conditions and low income that some teachers receive. Our teachers deserve recognition not only in words but in the wages that reflect the blood, sweat, and tears they put in. 

Flames of Passion

Our teachers, like firefighters, continue to extinguish the little fires that occur within the school day. In spite of the challenges they may face on a daily basis, their drive to inspire and shape us as students is a motivation that will never fail them. 

The same grade 11 Catholic Social Teachings and Personal Development teacher expressed, “Words can’t fully capture how challenging it is to become a class moderator, from replying to my mod students outside working hours to showing up every day even if I do not feel like it. Yet, despite these challenges, it was the most rewarding experience I’ve had as a teacher.” They added, ‘Being a class moderator has allowed me to share my life with my students and theirs with me. It has given me the opportunity to express the love and compassion I have for them, knowing that my cup is not empty but filled by the One who called me.”

They have always been there to support us, and in spite of our misunderstandings, they have always been happy to see us succeed. Now, it is time for us to be there for them. The expression of our appreciation and respect may seem insignificant, but little do we know that these sentiments may have the capacity to ignite the flame of their passion even further.