"May i ask you what course you are taking up?" I sort of knew where this was heading, but I thought so what.. and answered. "Education. I'm taking up Bachelor in Secondary Education majoring in english". "Oh" was the only reaction i got. I'm pretty used to these feedbacks from people and, as I know, so are other education students.Nowawadays people look down on our course. It's just children's game when other courses look at it. A friend of mine taking up engineering commented that all our major subjects compared to theirs are all minor subjects. Psychology student's say we know too less about people's psyche to determine efective teaching styles. Accounting student's laugh when they see us struggle in solving algebra. Another group of engineering students fighting about which among Civil, Electronics and Communication, and Computer engineering is the hardest. They finished their argument by saying "Ah basta, pero kung education mag engineering wala jud chance bai!" and they all agreed.
Taking up education wasn't my first choice. I wanted to take something about arts or even architecture. I am a lover of beauty and I dream of beutifying houses for families or building one for them. It was due to financial constraints that I resolved to taking up education. At first the course bore me. All i wanted was to graduate, find a suitable job, and study again. It was when I went through the course that I started to realize what there is in education that i don't think I'll easilly find in any other course.
In being a teacher there is no promise of riches or life of leisure. There is only the promise of sleepless nights making lesson plans and preparing class activities. Everyday we will be forced to love, understand and accept people of a hundred different personalities. The promise of being hated by students because we arrive early at school very much alive and kicking.
So why did I become an education student? Because despite all these. Education has a promise of eternal life. We may not have subjects like differential calculus. Algebra may be the extent of our knowledge in math. We may seem not to be knowledgeable with Gardner or Pavlov.
But we as future teachers are humble enough to accept the flaws and limitations of a student. We as future teachers can be understanding enough when a student comes to us asking the difference between a minus and plus sign. We as future teachers do not ridicule when a student doesn't know how to write. We as future teacher work not for us. We work for those who know nothing, but we accept them for who they are.
Lastly, We as future teachers are given the opportunity of being eternal in every student's hearts whose lives we would someday touch.
I am now taking up education not to be rich or popular. But because it is a calling.
