Let them teach

One of the many recurring complaints among teachers in both private and public schools is the flood of tasks that they need to commit to, on top of their actual teaching work. That includes meticulously drafting lesson plans, grading papers, overseeing classroom duties, going out on weekends to follow up on problematic student cases, filing paperwork, occasionally counseling students, attending seminars, the list goes on —individually significant tasks all reduced to a grocery list.

Has the state forgotten the humongous duty of an educational institution in shaping the individual, or has it simply stopped being an interest? Has it ceased to understand that teachers need all the resources they can get to become a significant psychological influence on children? Of what use is an hour of mumbling about the periodic table if the kids don't realize what it is practically for? If the teachers themselves don't know? If the actual knowledge is not communicated well enough because the teacher got too exhausted from doing admin-related work that he ended up delivering a mediocre teaching job?

Mediocrity breeds mediocrity. It's a vicious cycle. If we want to cultivate kids with passion for learning, we need to put the fun back in teaching.

I have long mourned the glaring disconnect between the academe and the community. Universities and schools should be actively involved in policy-making and helping the community solve its problems. That means research should be actively funded. Universities should be consulting firms.

But what is happening instead? Solving even our most basic problems are left to businessmen. While that is not bad in its entirety, that is also not good alone. There is always the tendency to prioritize personal agenda when money is involved. Representing universities, whose fundamental goal is truth, in decision-making bodies accomplishes two things: 1.) It provides a compass for seeking solutions; and 2.) It puts faith back in educational institutions as a primary pillar of civilized society, thereby reminding people that money alone is not the be-all and end-all of good leadership.

The fact that this is not the case can only be traced to one overlooked factor - an underestimation in the importance of good communication. And good communication (especially if lacking at home) should be established and encouraged in the classroom. It is a core process that can only be expedited by good teaching. Unfortunately, teaching these days isn't incentivized. Teaching these days is seen as a noble yet second-class profession. Teaching these days has been relegated to part-time work. Meanwhile, universities as seen as nothing more than a factory for future 9-to-5 slaves.

I wonder what it would be like if we give teachers back their dignity? I wonder what would happen if we just give them their time? I wonder what changes could be done if we just let them do what they do best? Let the teachers teach.