2. What it takes to be a teacher?

Do you recall the very first time someone asked you "what do you want to be when you grow up?", whether it may have been your dad, teacher, your best friend, playmate or that distant relative who always seemed to be a tad bit too nosy?

Well, I do.  I was probably in the 2nd or 3rd grade and living with my dad. For as long as I could remember and mind you I have bad memory skills, my go-to answer was "hmmmm I don't know, probably a business man". My dad would then re-iterate the question saying "what makes you happy?" and always the first thing that came to my mind was 'helping people' but of-course I never said it. More specifically when a fellow classmate would have come up to me asking for assistance and I would gladly help them to the best of my ability. I also really liked children. I spent a good portion of my childhood taking care of my younger cousins who are half my age. Of-course being the older cousin, we needed to take a bit of responsibility at times. 

It was not until a few years later during my early teens that I started to put the pieces together that perhaps teaching would be a good career option for myself. Or at least in the field where I'm in the act of teaching my skills to others. I just imagined myself being immersed with eager learners and the fact that they would address me as Mr. Davis or maybe a nickname if I became the 'cool teacher'. It seemed like a very good ambition to have. However I never really had experience actually being a teacher of some sorts. I never really knew 'what it would take to be a teacher'. 

My only experience was helping my fellow classmates with school work and sometimes my teacher would ask me to explain or be their tutor after class. That made me feel good about myself and I felt like I contributed a lot to my friends understanding the content better. But again that was just middle school. I guess I could count my few leadership roles I played throughout my elementary, middle and high school period because I did learn a lot from them. Being a teacher is being a leader. A leader that leads by example and one who inspires.

Grade 2 students at International School Manila

My first official role as a teacher assistant was a short stint while I was a senior at the International School Manila. For a whole semester I dedicated a block in my class schedule for the teacher aid position, that was a meeting twice a week. I signed up and was assigned to the 2nd grade class under Mr. O'neel who was the head teacher. My requisite job was to basically firstly observe, assist students where need be and learn from my experience. I was to write an online journal entry weekly to document what I have learned each time. My final assessment was to teach the class. To tell you I was nervous was an understatement. Ive always liked kids and if ever I was to be a teacher I would have teach young kids, truthfully I just couldn't deal with prepubescent kids or rowdy puberty stricken students.

The late Mr. Travis O'neel

My mentor was Mr. O'neel. He was a former college football player, so you could only imagine my surprise when I walked into his class the first time seeing this huge 6'3" beast of a man teaching these tiny 2nd graders. It was a juxtaposition that I wasn't expecting but nonetheless he was amazing with them. He taught me that being a teacher is just not about knowing the subject matter really well. Its about having patience and being kind, about when to be tough and soft-hearted, about knowing who needs the most help and the least, about not just being an educator but also a parent, leader, one who inspires etc ; and about knowing that your impact though it may seem minuscule, is part of a journey which makes everyone a better person. He never sugar coated things. He told me that teaching is hard and that I was to prepare for long nights, disgruntled parents, disobedient students just to name a few. But he always said it was worth it all if you were truly passionate about it. I could honestly say that yes I was a little shaken up but I did gain a ton of experience from just being present in his class. I dedicate this blog post to the Late Mr. Travis O'neel who tragically passed away due to a motorbike accident on June 19, 2015. He was a inspiration to me and will forever be remembered.

Recently, my classmates from batch BM-151 and I are all in preparation for the "2015 Chants and Cheer Competition" in Asia Pacific College. I volunteered to be a leader not knowing what I was getting myself into. After dealing with college students whom I presumed where grown and mature enough not to be told what to do all the time, I can honestly say teachers have one of the hardest jobs out there. This experience had actually inspired me to write this blog. I tried to be understanding and democratic in my decision making process but it seemed like a lot of the students just didn't care. It was only after my fellow classmate/leader Peter had to scream at them that everyone paid attention. I don't have a similar leadership style so I let him speak.

This experience gave me a greater appreciation for all teachers out there. Teaching is probably the most under-rated job out there and I wish everyone would give a higher pedestal to all teachers and commend them on a great job. Well at least a majority of them, I am not saying every teacher is amazing :).

So if you are a student reading this post; please don't give your teachers a hard time and if you are a teacher yourself, Thank -You very much. Your hard work is very much appreciated.