Straight From a Teacher's Heart

These are my babies in the class. Everyone had their beautiful smile when we celebrated Christmas together like a family. ❤❤❤

These are my beautiful young ladies who were up to their task in introducing the characters of a Filipino novel, my country's National Hero's masterpiece, Noli Me Tangere.

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I am graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Filipino (The National Language of the Philippines). Now, why Filipino? It’s because a lot of schools were looking for Filipino teachers that time when I started my college journey. I am not just certain if it’s still true until this time. That actually is my mind’s decision. What’s really in my heart is English but they said that the country already has many English teachers. It would be very difficult for me to land a job because I would have a lot of competitors.

I remember when I was still interviewed by our Principal before I got hired. She asked me why I took up Filipino as my field of specialization where in the first place, she believed I sounded well in English. It was a “Miss Universe-like answer” that I gave with smile and confidence. “English is my first love, but Filipino is my one true love,” I replied. Then our Principal and the other panel members laughed at me. I will never forget that moment.

Even if I have found already my one true love (Filipino), I still can’t get over with my first love (English). This is the reason why when I enrolled in Cebu Normal University, one of the prestigious universities in the Philippines, for my masters degree, I really made sure to get cognates related to English. Well, after all English and Filipino are both language subjects so it wouldn’t be hard for me to adapt and learn it more.

I was not mistaken because in the whole semester of being in the English Language Teaching 4005 class, I’ve learned and realized many things. These are the following:

1. Children whose first language is NOT English should not be forced in learning and using the language because the more they’ll hate it. Others may laugh at them because of their failure to observe correct grammar and pronunciation. People, especially the kids, are so much afraid with humiliation and bullying. It would be better if we will just allow them to learn the language slowly through the help of the teacher who doesn’t fail to use English language every time they’re in school or even if they see each other outside the campus.

2. English can be every learner’s favorite subject only if the teacher employs varied strategies in delivering the lessons. They won’t get bored in the class if the lesson and the learning activities get their attention and interest. This is a big challenge for teachers like me because this means that I should begin first with knowing what kind of students I have because it’s going to be a very important basis in selecting teaching strategies that fit primarily to the learners and the lesson.

3. If teachers employ learner-centered strategies in teaching, teachers will just be relaxed while seeing students learn on their own or together with their peers. They don’t need to talk too much because they will just give clear and precise instructions and act only as facilitators in the learning process. (I should do this most of time to save my voice because I’ve been suffering from on-off hoarseness these past few months and this really makes me frustrated because my speaking skills is truly affected and I can no longer sing the songs I love to sing and apart from this, I am afraid I can no longer teach because I know very well that just like singing, teaching also is a voice profession.)

4. There is no such thing as best pedagogy in teaching. As long as it fits to the learners’ intelligence, learning styles, lesson, and the learning environment, no question that it’s going to be really effective and efficient.

5. Children can acquire language through social interaction. That means the environment plays an important role in shaping their communicative skills that is why as much as possible, the people around them, most importantly the parents and family members and even the teachers, should be very careful with the words they utter considering that they easily remember what they hear most of the time even if they do not know what the words really mean or whether they’re good or bad words.

6. Language fluency can sometimes be a measure of intelligence. If people know that you are a very good English speaker, that you are very spontaneous, that you never fail to pronounce the words properly, and a lot more, they would think you are that smart. Maybe yes! Because your mind thinks quickly right, your mouth says what it fully understands right then and there. Only few people have this kind of intelligence. Everyone actually has this. It’s just that we need to enhance it with ourselves which does not just happen overnight because it takes quite some time to make ourselves a master of something.

7. The main purpose of language is for people to use in order to communicate well to better understand each other, NOT to make chaos or any form of misunderstanding. Everyone should be reminded of this. If we get into an argument, we should not end it up unfixed. What’s the use of having the language we speak if we can’t settle things down? It’s just a matter of learning how to listen and giving turn to speak to everyone.

8. What makes language alive is that people make use of it all their lives and just like season, it also changes and so with the trends in fashion and technology. But even if it changes, let’s not forget that the very essence of language is good communication

To end this up, I’d like to recall the Miss Universe 2012 Pageant with our very own Janine Tugonon who represented the country with inner and outer beauty and with oozing confidence and intelligence. She was asked by the host if English language should be a pre-requisite in joining Ms. Universe. She answered, "Being Ms. Universe is not about knowing how to speak a specific language. It’s about knowing how to influence people. If you have the heart and mind, then you can be Ms. Universe.” That answer made her the First Runner-up. Even if she didn’t get the crown, Filipinos were still very proud of her and are still very proud even up to this day.

See? Even Janine has that kind of thinking. We are Filipinos but we know how to speak a lot of languages including dialects, but again, let’s be reminded that it’s not in the language we speak but the good deeds we do out from the language we use that really matter and that is something that teachers should educate among all our learners today and in the near future.