Why I Keep on Teaching

I got a major tongue lashing from my folks a while ago after a stupid business decision I made just recently. In my haste to get a business permit I unwittingly accepted a permit renewable on a quarterly basis. I never knew that it was possible to get one on a yearly basis.

Today's the end of the first quarter so it's wiser to get one next month. I knew this perfectly well. I only rushed things because a business permit was required by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). so that we will finally have an official LEGAL receipt.

In my recklessness I failed to realize that the BIR will question the expiry date of the permit. It was plain stupid on my part. These are some things I have to learn the hard way.

The result? Two parents mad as hell preaching how utterly useless I was in this house. They even hinted what a lousy career teaching is because it's financially unrewarding. Teacher's wages are so low I couldn't contribute to any household bill.

I admit to making stupid mistakes sometimes. Even teachers make stupid mistakes. Was entering the teaching profession a stupid mistake as well?

The hardest part about their litany was that I spent THEIR money for the permit. The permit was so expensive it's almost equivalent to a teacher's monthly salary which I don't have. I had no choice but to ask from them and I wasted it!

Why do I bother with teaching anyway? I guess I am naive enough to believe that if I teach my students well they can make this world a better place. Funny, but I never stop believing that my students can do that if they try hard enough.

The previous semester was the toughest for me. I wasn't given an increase and I just taught a couple of subjects. Despite that I met the best section in my 3 years as an educator.


The section is AHSE 1-H. They were not one of the brightest I have handled but they possessed the traits which I wanted students to have. That is the trait of being emphatic and caring towards others.

During our classes I have this policy regarding late comers. Males were required to do 50 push ups while females did 50 pumpings. If they failed to do so I'll give the ratings every student truly deserves (very low grades).

Not everyone is capable of doing 50 push ups. What impressed me about them is that the early comers volunteer to do the push ups the late comers failed to do. They forsook their own well being not just to help the late comers but to help save the group as well.

What a spirit! It's students like them that makes teachers feel that there's still hope for the future. I was really blessed to have met people like them. They made me feel that it pays to be an educator.

Someday they will help touch people's lives. When they do so I hope that those whom they have touched will also show kindness to others. In that way they can help make a small heaven in this Earth. I feel that it's a reward worth more than all the money in the world. =)