Teachers Month

World Teachers Day is held on October 5th annually. This year the Philippines is celebrating it by labeling it with a theme entitled “My Teacher, My Hero”. The celebration begins on the 4th of September and culminates on World Teachers’ Day. It is in the spirit of celebration that spurred me to again open my blog site and start posting away.

Visitors who have been loyal readers (including those with hopes that I will finally be able to post regularly so they drop by every so often) will notice that I still do not have any consistent schedule of posting.

Newbies will realize that I’m not much into creative design as I am into writing. Because my blog site is bland, I make up for it in quality posting… at least imo.

*********************************************

I’m a frustrated educator. Since college, I’ve always wanted to teach. Unfortunately, I don’t have a masteral degree yet so I can’t “corrupt the minds of the youth” yet, as our college Philosophy professor used to say. So what I can’t do in the classroom, I try to do in the workplace by mentoring and coaching people. I’m no career guru but I try to share with my people my previous experiences and give them opportunities to shine.

So while I’m no professor in the school, perhaps I try to sublimate it by becoming a coach in the school of hard knocks.

I can never forget that cliche. I was at the canteen alone during my last term in college and an old Religion professor approached me and asked if we could share a table. I obliged. He goes on congratulating me that I’ll soon be a college graduate but that there is still much to learn in the school of hard knocks.

I haven’t visited my alma mater – regardless if it’s the college I went to or high school -  for a very long time. I wonder where my teachers are today. I guess this longing just reflects the profound effect educators have on their students. This is especially true for great educators as well as lousy ones. You always remember the extremes.

One time I was in ____ (I can’t remember the municipality), Bulacan doing a market visit of a public market (now doesn’t that sound double redundant….) and lo and behold I spot my grade 6 school teacher. She recognized me and we exchanged pleasantries. She had stopped teaching and was now doing business in Bulacan. She was our English teacher and she made us spell all those crazy words like o-no-ma-to-pee-ya, hai-per-ball-y, and other words that befuddled the minds of the tweens.

I also frequently see one of my college professor in a mall in Manila. He can’t remember me and I don’t call out to him because I am not even sure if he still teaches. This teacher did not corrupt our minds, but he did pollute it somewhat.

Of all the teachers that I hold close to my aorta is Mr. Hilario Francia. He was our professor for art appreciation and he would frequently ask his students to submit art reviews. At the end of the semester, I was one of the 5 or so students whom he asked to contribute to the Manila Times. I guess that’s where the writer in me was born. I still contribute today but not to Manila Times, due to limited time, I only contribute sparingly- a community newspaper and a personal finance magazine (although lately haven’t contributed anything to said magazine).

I wish that one day I can also plant the seeds for a student’s future success. To all the teachers of the world, happy teachers day(or month)!

Leadership 2009

I feel passionately about leadership and perhaps the passing of the late President Cory has inspired me to hammer away at my keyboard to reflect on the word leadership.

It used to be that leadership was summed up by having the biggest set of balls in the court. Being a leader meant someone who could order others around without having to listen to opinions – differing or not. I imagine that most organizations before succeeded because the underlings running it had their carrots in front of their eyes.

These days, that just doesn’t do it anymore. Today, leaders must inspire, not coerce. That is probably the reason why most authoritarian states have converted to democracies. There are still plenty of countries run by a single person or party but pockets of resistance are there. And, even if there is none, protests to the prevailing authority can be in the avenues of art, music or science.

Whatever the cause of this shift – be it women’s rights, more educated populace, the Internet, news, inherent human desire – what is in vogue today is consultative leadership. Unfortunately, change has been slower in this country when it comes to this new form of leadership. As yet, it has only been lip service.

Perhaps it is because the need for survival usurps the need for inspirational leadership. It is both a flaw and a puzzle that we allow ourselves to be subjected to abuse – oftentimes verbal – that we follow blindly and aimlessly so called leaders who we think provide us with our basic needs.

Imagine the employee who gets criticized heavily by his employer. Does he risk shouting or fighting back only to lose income for his family of 10?

Far too common is such a story that it remains the fabric of our lives here. Unless we are born of privileged pedigree or opulent wealth, we work in order to survive. In effect, we give power to already powerful people in high positions.

This is not a call to revolt as revolts do not always end in happy ever afters. This is just a slap on your face to wake up and realize that you do not have to subject yourselves to pity. There are better pastures out there and you need not go beyond the shores of these islands.

When your person is maligned, resign. People have a right to opine, but we do not have the right to shred the self-esteem and dignity of another.

In living, we can inspire. But when in death, to be able to draw hundreds of thousands of people to follow you, that is the consequence of true leadership. Only a few can claim to such immortality.

Thank you indeed Madame Cory. May you rest in heavenly peace.