Leaving a Legacy, One Student at a Time

By Mr. Perci Paras
Literature Teacher

         “Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present.” (Camus, 1951) This line from French Philosopher Albert Camus speaks a lot about my journey as a young teacher.
In June of 2008, I was a struggling student in a teacher-education university. Just like the few ambitious and passionate students like I was, I took the road “less travelled by...” hoping it will make “all the difference.”. My decision to pursue a degree in Education, major in Literature, is short of a compromise. My parents are both public school teachers, and they prefer that I pursue education than what I really want. Prior to that, I didn’t know what I really want to do in life. I want everything. On top of that, I desire to pursue a vocation in the arts (theater or creative writing). I also want to be either a soldier or a public servant as alternatives… I want to do a lot of things, but none of which materialized. Nothing was sure. The only thing I am certain of is that I want to have a good future. A generous one. One that has an impact and one that leaves a legacy; and I believe the teaching profession is just like that!
Slowly, I am seeing the beauty of the vocation I signed up for… yet, it did not turn out perfect for me. Personal and professional struggles discouraged me from time to time. Some of which includes:
Teacher’s salary – No one enters the the vocation of teaching to be rich. That’s a fact. I started in a not so well-paying school. I must admit, no one gets huge salary as a starting teacher. In the Philippines, the average salary for new teachers ranges from 16,000 to 19,000 Pesos (DepEd). Experience and credentials matter a lot… things I lack years ago. Despite that, I continue as a hungry, passionate newbie. By hungry, I mean, for experience. Years later, bills and other expenses came up. I have to strike a balance between being idealistic and being practical. Yes, my figurative hunger slowly transitions to a literal one. This compels me to move to a better location. Gladly, I’m able to finish my Master’s degree by then. I started teaching in tertiary education.
The workload – as a young professional, I idealistically envision my future as a balance of work and leisure. I wanted to give my best in the workplace, and not worry about it during weekends. Slowly, it has become a challenge. While time management plays a huge part (which I am privileged enough because I grew up in a generation that does not compete with social media and online games. In a way, saying no to it is not as hard as our younger generations), the continues mental activity occupies even my weekend. As a teacher, I must constantly think of activities, lessons, checking papers, answering concerns of students even late at night and during weekends (I guess I successfully said enough to this hehe), and graduate school. Despite all the pressures, I noticed that I grew a lot as a person. I learned what to prioritize. I gained better decision-making skills. It wasn’t really that bad after all.

So, what is in teaching that I chose to stay?
Impact –Personally, I can recall some of the teachers I’ve had, who, until today, has made their influence in my life. My High School English teacher, who taught me to value Literature and its vicarious experience in humanity. My College professor in Continental Literature, who taught me to see the value of the next generation – the students – the future of this society. These are thing I still treasure with me until now.
Legacy – I often ask this: in my short time on Earth, what can I leave behind? I don’t want to be just another creature who consumed food and air, all to be food for worms in the future. I want to leave something behind to the next generation. This is one compelling reason I am still in this vocation. The direct contact to the future of this world. The future is in our classrooms. These are faces of world changers. Having that in mind, it always rekindles the passion in me. I am privileged enough to have a vocation that directly influence the next generation. I don’t want them to copy me, nor their teachers now. I want them to be better. They can, indeed do better. And this opportunity to invest, in a very little way, in their learning journey is an honor of a lifetime. Someday, I will see my future kids being taught by the ones we have in our classrooms. And I am confident that they will be in good hands.
I maybe new in this field. Relatively eight years of dealing with the students. But those eight years led me to a world I never dreamed possible. Looking back, I have no regrets. I could have built a name for myself in some other corner of the sky, but I chose to stay. For what is it in building ourselves if we cannot help the next generation build theirs? Gone are the cliches that we, teachers, are preparing the next generation for the real world. No! The classroom is part of their real world. As John Dewey once said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” (Glanz, 2008) I can either watch the future while building mine… but I’d rather take part in building the future, now, in the classroom.
To the teachers who helped me to be what I am now… and to the teachers to be… thank you for changing the world, one student at a time!
Reference:
Camus, Albert (1951) The Rebel: an essay on man in revolt. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Essay-Man-Revolt/dp/0679733841
DepEd (2012). retrieved from https://www.deped.gov.ph/2012/10/10/do-79-s-2012-implementing-guidelines-on-the-grant-of-step-increment-for-teachers-with-specialization-in-science-and-or-mathematics/
Glanz, Karen, Barbara Rimer, K. Viswanath  (2008) Health behavior and health education : theory, research, and practice.    San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, ©2008.

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