It is alarming that as years pass by, students change… not only simple changes but a change in their totality as individuals. Every day we are bombarded with different crimes aired in televisions and radios and published in newspapers. It’s normal, but what makes it unusual is the involvement of our students in such crimes.
Who should be blamed for the involvement of these students in such crimes at their very young age? Is it the parents? Their peers? The technology? Their environment? The government? Their teachers? Or simply “US”?
Yes…it’s us! We should all take responsibility in the involvement of some of our youth in some heinous crimes. If you are a parent, what did you do if your child asks advice about his/ her problems in school? Have you ever guided your child in browsing the net or watching televisions? If you are a peer, what advice did you give to your friend who is asking for an advice? If you are a politician, what programs do you launched for students? And if you are a teacher, how many times you listened to your students in their personal problems?
That is why it is us! Most of the times, we take them for granted because of our “BUSY WORLD.” We forgot that each one of us is accountable in making this world a better place to live in by shaping our youth… by shaping our students.
As a teacher, I make sure that I am not only acting as a teacher alone, but also a parent and a friend for my students. For the past more than three years in the academe, I have been a class adviser many times, so I have been exposed to different situations, where students are involved. And since they are involved, I also make sure that I will be involved not just a “simple pakialamera” but a teacher, who can also be their parent, friend or just a companion.
We should try to be involved in our students’ lives. Although it is complicated to translate our relationship with our students into friendship, we should try to, since this is what they needed… not only a teacher but a friend whom they can share their problems.
By: Ms. Jenny G. Pascual | Bonifacio Camacho National High School, Abucay, Bataan
