Author’s Note: This is a letter written to the former Ms. Chalk S. Powdered by a very close friends, Mr. Blackboard W. Greenthough, one lonely summer inside the old school, Rizal Central School. The letter was found unopened and still unread by the supposed recipient because Chalk was learned to have changed her surname after being married to a certain Mr. Dustless. Her present name is said to be Mrs. Chalk P. Dustless. The courier did not find her and decided to leave this letter as there was no return address written. I hereby announce that whoever has the knowledge of her whereabouts or to those who can tell us what school Mrs. Dustless is currently serving, do let us know. But you may also opt to reprint this letter and give this personally to her. Thank you.
My dear Chalk,
You may never know but I’ve been missing you so much. It’s not easy to stay alone inside this empty classroom, day and night, with nobody to talk to. Unlike before the summer vacation, I am having a hard time consoling myself and accepting that I’m all unaccompanied. But the situation, despite my being hard and sturdy, is starting to sink inside my brain and I wonder if I could pacify my loneliness by writing this letter.
Much has changed within the system since the first time we met. Maybe you were not able notice but the way the new breed of public school teachers are performing seems making me worry at one point. We share the same experience with troubles in school but it seems that there is nothing compared with today’s failure in discipline as it was decades ago. I cannot help but to believe that the teachers today are inferior, or shall I say, lesser quality educators compared to the previous generations.
Some years back, we saw how teachers are being respected in and out of school by every people from all walks of life. I remember the times when pupils couldn’t even look at them straight in the eye when they converse. I miss the scenes when pupils bow their heads or place their right hands over their chest before greeting their teachers with good mornings and goodbyes. How I wish to, once again, spot pupils run toward their teacher to offer help in carrying their loads while they are approaching the school gate. Community leaders heed them for advice even the matter was about governance and politics. I remember listening to them when they speak about honor and plurality. I can’t help but to pay attention because their words touched my soul. Are the pupils the ones to be blamed? Certainly not!
Today, it’s different, totally different. Late last year, one Lolo went here in school and aired out his emotions by telling some differences between the teachers of his generation versus today’s.
“You can spot new teachers by the product they show”, he said with bulging eyes. “Look at our children today. Seldom will you see them work on their assignments with much enthusiasm as we did before! I see less encouragement from you!” he added with a shower of saliva over the teacher’s table.
All of a sudden I recall, as if my old memory comes rushing back to me, when I was freshly made and newly installed inside this classroom. Those were the times when the past generations of pupils were very excited to come to school to study and learn. How they show much passion to schooling made me to decide to stay here for long. So long, in fact, that I was able observe all the differences that came along the system for the past decades and even more. The caring teachers, who walked past the door with aura of untiring fashion and with open heart to anybody who comes, seem to attract fervor inside the learners’ subconscious. Thus, they were able to register a means of encouragement despite the depressive instances of war and economic downturns of those times. Honestly, I miss those. I wonder until now how these New Breeds have forgotten all those strong characters and personal qualities. I presumed that maybe, just maybe, they have other interests that overshadow their attention to the beauty of the characters previously displayed by the older generations of teachers.
With all these observations, I am beginning to form a different kind of perception. I pity them, though. They, who take instruction less serious even amidst the total downturns of quality education, ignore the facts that are playing right in front of their eyes. These facts are not just upshots of researches and case studies but can be heard from people in media and even casual street conversations. They say that Philippine public education is now in the brink of failure by the way it is performing. It is demonstrated by the low literacy rate recorded over the years. And here, plain classroom teachers are said to be the reason why such a failure occurs. And I can’t blame these people when they keep on comparing them to the teachers of the past. Those were the times when pupils are more Inglesero than the present. The times when pupils are more disciplined than today. Those are the times when teachers are revered more than ever in our history.
Once, a radio program guest from the labor department said that the country has a lot job offers which are enough to employ the 380,000 to 400,000 graduates. But he also said that the typical problem of service is within the employers who actually post higher employment standards which includes English proficiency. According to them, most graduates are highly technical but are lacking in communication skills especially with the English language. The conversation narrowed down to the idea that the basic education sectors (elementary and secondary levels) are the bureaus that are responsible for such untoward fate of the education system. And here teachers are the ones again to be blamed. It is with them that the working segments of society generally incline their basic knowledge which later to be found as inferior to what is expected. This results to poor employment possibility for such hapless individuals.
Don’t be so much annoyed with me my dear Chalk and brand me as a stupid board. All that I am saying are the results of pertinent observations arising from the questions of difficulty in finding back the quality education we are missing. It is summer and I can’t seem to find better ways to fill-up the shoes these new breeds are stepping in. I can’t understand them. But I am not losing hope, though. I still trust that they will, one day, stand in front of the classroom with a new character and vigor that may define the real sense of education. It is still a wish, however.
After reading this letter, Chalk, you may send your reply via the school’s mailbox. How I wish to read those to ease my boredom.
Missing you so much,
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