“Many are called but few are chosen”

Teaching is more of a calling than a profession. It is a special gift from ABOVE. When you indulge yourself to teaching profession, it means COMMITMENT.

I remember when I was still applying for a teaching job. I luckily passed the entrance test for teacher applicants and proceeded to individual interview. The school principal was the one handling the interview. She was a bit old yet with a strong personality and with a ready smile in her face. That made me feel more comfortable inside her very organized office. She came to know me better as she asked me personal information about myself. As the interviewing progressed, she asked me this intriguing question. “If you rate yourself from the scale of 1-10, how committed you are as a teacher?”

I paused for a little moment. “I rate myself 9.5.” my reply. The interviewer smiled at me curiously. That moment I felt that I was so proud and unbecoming before her for rating myself high enough.

“You know, commitment to teaching is like love.” she replied.

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“It has to be 100 percent or 10.0. It cannot be called love nor commitment if it is only 9.5 or even 9.9.” she continued.

“Would you like to be with a person who would tell you I love you and I am committed to you 9.5 percent only?” she told me further with her looking at me straight.

It was really the most striking and deafening statement I have heard from her. I didn’t know what to do whether to smile or remain pouted. As if a pail of water full of ice was slowly pouring at me.

“Hey, you’re applying for a teaching job and you didn’t know what to do?” my conscience was telling me.

I started regaining my consciousness that I lost for a moment when I heard her soft voice once more.

“Commitment is putting your both feet inside the circle. You put not only your left foot inside the circle while the right foot is outside or the other way around. When you start teaching you put your whole person-your heart and your soul.” she added.

“Do you work even after working hours? The demand of teaching is not easy because you will work 26 hours a day.” the interviewer said with strong conviction. “You’re 8-hour work as a teacher in school will not be sufficient. You need extra mile in working not only for grades and lesson plans but most importantly your loving touch to your students as you connect to them day by day, to help them become the best person that they should be.” she clarifies more clearly.

Fortunately, I got the job. When I begun teaching, I realized I got the calling to teach. When years were counting, I am still teaching. I realized, I got a mission.

And that is to become a….

T-rustworthy,

E-nlightening in words,

A-dvocates to be

C-ompassionate,

H-umble and honorable.

E-xcellent mentor with a

R-eady heart and ears to listen to young voices!

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