The résumés: well-written. The credentials: impeccable. The recommendations: well-heralded. Teaching experience and training: insurmountable. A sought-after applicant. Or so it seems.

They come on time for their interviews. Well-groomed. Well-modulated voice. Perfect grammar. But that is all there is.
You ask the first question. Detailed answers; very profound statements. Ultimately brilliant! You can’t hide your pleased smile. You nod in approval often. They notice. So, their posture and countenance shift to such projection of much confidence.

Then you move to another line of questioning. You ask about what significantly matters to them. You start to bleed as one answer after the other reveals the language of their hearts: the hopelessness, the apathy, the absence of a dream and conviction. A heart that is no longer willing to learn speaks, “I’m an expert already, take it from me!”; “I’m contented with my undergraduate degree; I have never wanted to pursue further studies. I am contented with what I know and with where I am. I have been teaching for more than seven years, anyway.” Their responses now disappoint you. You grip the table to keep your composure. Then one adds, “I teach English to 5th and 6th grade. I have been teaching for almost ten years now.” Not bad. So, you ask, “You must have, somehow, mastered the English language well. To have an idea on how you enrich your knowledge, please tell me the kind of books you read.” The applicant smiles, “I only read two kinds of books: Mills and Boons and other love story novels similar to Mills and Boons.” You stare at the applicant in disbelief. There is nothing wrong with reading Mills and Boons and romantic novels; but if those are the only reading materials that a 5th and 6th grade English teacher feeds the mind, what depth of English is the students likely to learn? What context of English is the students likely to receive? Though dismayed, you give it another try, “Magazines? You read magazines? Movies? What was the last movie you saw?” Answer came abruptly, “I read magazines on showbiz issues. Last movie I saw? The last time I saw a movie, I slept through it. Aside from that movie, the last movie I watched was Titanic.” You stare in disbelief. You are dying to ask the applicant to define what a teacher is and what teaching is all about. An idea in you screams that maybe, just maybe, these applicants do not really understand what being a teacher means even after all these years of being one. Sad to realize such but their responses seem to confirm your thoughts. You shift to another sitting position while thinking to yourself, “I’m not going to flare up and preach here”, when, suddenly, another applicant stares at you and retorts, “I no longer like reading; I never really did—is there a problem with that?!”

You bleed. As you interview one teacher-applicant to the other, you bleed for our country, you bleed for the younger generations. It has always been said that our country has hope in education. And you have always held on to that statement only to find yourself face-to-face with the front liners of our academic institutions whose responses steal from you the energy to hope for a brighter future. You nurse your wounds unaware of another slashing remark on its way, “I have long ago lost my hope on heroes. This country will no longer have one”. And another one declares, “Nope, I no longer go to church (moves towards you and grins); but don’t worry, I’m very okay, my brother is a pastor anyway.” With all these, though only at the 3rd level of 7 levels of pre-hiring screening, you no longer have the inspiration to continue.

You try—at least you tried—to already end the conversation. But one insists, “The Bible? Women degrading. Do you know that they scrapped Lilibeth from that Holy Book? Genesis is incomplete.” You gasped at the sudden remark. You now want to snap, “Can I throw you out of my office?”, but instead you say, “Lilibeth? Who is she? What do you mean?” The succeeding response wrecks you more, “Oh, the strong-willed, shrewd, independent woman in the Bible. The third party of Adam and Eve’s love story. She was totally scrapped simply because they do not want to encourage women empowerment. They do not want to encourage strength as women are to just submit. They want women to be as dumb as Eve.”

Determined to put aside the résumé, you execute the protocols: the handshake, the “I’ll give you a call when the Hiring Committee deliberates”, the “Thank you for coming.” Formal closing statements. But that is all. Not even an offer of a teaching-designation. Yet, there is an insisting on a last query: “Compensation? I want to know the starting pay.”

You breathe a figure. Not really accurate. You just want to provide an answer. Applicant lunges forward, “Aren’t you going to bid for my service? Such and such school has a higher of

what the heck ?

WOW! What an interesting and well written essay; however, I read it with regrets. I wonder what the educators think about it. It is very sad and I feel sorry for the children.

Baguinians... Students who are aspiring for TEACHING PROFESSION, bear in mind this inclination is not a JOKE. Before you decide to do it, think smartly if you are really capable because you will be dealing with the future of innocent KIDS/human being... It so upsetting to read this ESSAY because any foreign countries I go I always say, "We value EDUCATION in our country, every parents in one household, rich or poor; it's their dream for their kids to be EDUCATED," whoever read this essay got discourage and of course innocent pupils will suffer. Please be smart enough to learn whatever your professions. Diploma alone is not enough...Prove your WORTH guys for the future of BANGUI/GENERATIONS.

Mariingman ti kapanunutanmi nga NAGANNAK iti daytoy nga ESSAY...Kas maysa nga NAGANNAK kayatmi nga naranyag ti masakbayan dagiti ANNAKMI ket magun-udda dagitoy maipapan iti ADAL nga inda masagrap mangrugi iti pamilya, simbaan, kagimungan kangrunaanna iti PAGADALAN. Panagadal napateg unay... ngem no dagiti mangisursuro ket saan met nga naan-anay ti SARIRITda nga mangisuro, agbalinto laeng nga NAKAKAASI nga awan naranyag nga maragpat dagiti annakmi nga agadal. Kangrunaanna tay makunkuna nga PANANGIGAED NGA MANGISURO dagiti APPO nga MAMAESTRA, kangrunaanna iti pangal ti Elementarya, ta iso ti pamunganayan dagiti annakmi nga agaddang iti pagadalan. Tano nagaget tay Mestra nga mapan mangisuro, nagaget met nga mapan agbasa tay ubing, ket ado ti inda masursuro. AGPAKPAKAASIKAM UNAY KENNI APO MA'AM DISTRICT SUPERVISOR TI BANGUI ti naan-anay nga pannakamonitor dagiti mangisursuro kangrunaanna ti ORAS NGA PANAGRUGI ti klase iti bigat, tano kanayon nga maladaw tay mestra, awan masursuro dagiti annakmi. Ket no saan nga madisiplinaan dagitoy nga mangisursuro, kaskasdinto latta nga awan masakbayan nga nasayaat dagiti annak tayo. . Ket dakami nga nagannak ti BANGUI, agpakpakaasi kami nga awan koma ti kastoy nga mapaspasamak ti tunggal eskuwela ti BANGUI DISTRICT, ket no addaman ta saan nga masulbar, mabalin agpatulong kami nga umaddang iti nangatngato pay nga tukad ti turay ti EDUKASYON iti Ilocos Norte. PANNAWAGAN KADAGITI ISO AMIN NGA MASEKNAN NGA NAGANNAK TI BANGUI AGTITINNULONG TAYO NGA AGRIDAM NGA SAAN NGA AGINBUBULSEK NO ADDA KASTOY NGA SITWASYON, KALINTEGAN TI NAGANNAK, KANGRUNAANNA KALINTEGAN DAGITI ANNAK TAYO TI AGSAGRAP TI ADAL NGA NAAN-ANAY. Thank you Ma'am OFEROSAL ACOJIDO no maawatam ti kayatmi nga sawen.

no makitayon man apo dagiti malad-ladaw a mamaestra manmano ngata met ken saan ngata met a kanayon. Siguro adda met rasonda a maladaw ta adda met pamiliada ken no salun-at ti pagsasaritaan siyempre umun-una payla dayta. Saludaran tayo koma met ti efforts da mangted adal kadagiti annaktayo. Ken ammoda nga dayta ti pagrebbenganda. Ti maestra 6 hrs. teaching load ti maysa nga aldaw ken 2 oras nga panagisagana 4 the next day ken dadduma pay related activities. Ngem ditay kad madlaw nga nalab-labes pay ngem dayta ti kaadda da iti eskuwelaan. Ken no masapul pay agreportda pay iti bakasyon or holidays.

Saan laeng nga maladaw, manangliwat pay dagita dadduma apo, ti pagkunaanmi ket agawid nukuan dagita annakmi, masansan nga mapaspasamak,adda ngarud pay masursuroda????Awan ni mestrami konada, pasaray maladaw. Pudno nga adda da latta yanta eskuwela iti bakasyon ngem partes ti trabaho da dayta ta agaramidda ta kayatda nga aramiden, agsueldoda met latta uray bakasyon. Kasta ngarud empleyado gobyerno????Ay-ay pay tay ubing no awan ammona.

I am not a teacher by profession, but I respect the teachers a lot, if not them, I was not what I am today, I know that sometimes they late, they absent, they got sick, but I understand them coz they have their families to take care off just like us.
Even they are underpaid, they still bring out the best in them to educate their students. The problem is, lots of students now are naughty, sometimes they disrespect the teachers.
Anyway, I salute you teachers. Keep up the good work.
God bless all the teachers. I owe you a lot.

thanks friend for understanding the plight of teachers...

No awan ubbing nga isuro dagiti memestra awan pagtrabahuanda, iso ti nakaikumitanda daytoy iso nga rumbeng koma met nga napudno ti panagserbiyo. Nga saan ketdi nga sadala mapan mangisuro no 9:30 wenno tala kaykayatda nga oras...Bato bato sa langit ta matamaan/ta agsidat sili magasangan. Gapo ta ti ammoyo saannakayo nga makita ni Apo Supervisor???Dakami pay nga nagannak ti pannakamatana nga dadduma. Dumanon nga dumanon diay Distrito ta naganmo no kastoy ti kadawyanmo nga Mestra. Ket no saan nga masulbar ti baba, adda met pay nangatngato nga tukad ti turay ti eskwelaan. Ammo tayo met Apo ti Ruangan ti opisina ni Apo Superintendente. Agmulagat tayo amin ta kastoy ti nasayaat. Sangsangkamaysa kami nga nagannak ta kayatmi nga napintas ti masakbayan dagiti annakmi, nga saan ketdi nga mayaw-awan nga panursuro.

kenka nagannak ti bangui;

inka ngarud ibagan ken apo supervisor tapno madepensaan met ni apo maestra ta dika sao nga sao no talaga nga natured ka inka iyam ammo ta bagim. ammom apo nagannak ti bangui saan nga rumbeng nga daytoy site ti pangibagaam agdiretso ka ta kayat mo nga papanan. uray diak maestra isakit ko ida ta makitak rigrigatda.

BRAVO...EXACTLY... CORRECT KA DYAN AR

Sika AR ammomi ti pagluglugaranmi kas nagannak. Paggaammomi nga daytoy nga site ket para kadagiti isuamin nga umili. Saanka nga madanagan ta dimmanunen iti opisina ni Supervisora. Kas maysa nga nagannak maseknan kami ngamin iti masakbayan dagiti annakmi.

REGARDING THIS ISSSE PLEASE CONSIDER THE PATIENCE OF OUR BELOVED TEACHERS THEY HAD SO MANY HARDSHIPS REGARDING OUR CHILDRENS SO PLEASE SALUTE THEM.

Disiplinaam dagii mangisursuro nga agkabil ti ubbing Apo Supervisor, ta no saan nga masulbar idanonmi diay Division Office. Kasapulan nga masuspende wenno maikkat koma dagiti kakastoy nga mangisursuro ta agkabil met ti aramidenda kadagiti ubbing imbes koma nga isuroda ida. Ania ti proper Approach ti maysa nga manursuro iti ubing tapno makaisuro? Saan nga kabil nga urayla nga lumitem! Saan nga nasayaat daytoy nga banag kakailian maperdi laeng ti dayaw ti mangisursuro.