On Keeping the Enthusiasm and Motivation

I got burned out towards the end of the quarter. It was the height of my requirements in the university. I practically give my time off the university to my job. So what’s left of my research time for my masteral subjects? Nothing! Well, of course, I’m just exaggerating. But it really did burn me out. There is practically no more time to prepare LPs for classes and to review the readings for the class. Imagine…I’m teaching three different levels which equates to doing three preparations in contrast with having one year level, three sections, and just one LP preparation. I’m doing a load of three teachers!!! Wouldn’t this turn you nuts? Wouldn’t this kill your enthusiasm? I did lose my enthusiasm and motivation towards the end of the quarter and only desired to sleep everything away. Just then I thought that salary is my only motivation. But when I entered my first class of the week and went on with my usual class, somehow, I started feeling very light and rejuvenated! I suddenly forgot about my tiredness and headache. We were having fun discussing and even laughing at times. It is a different feeling when you are already inside the classroom surrounded by bubbly and active students. I went out of the classroom smiling and entered the faculty room frowning again seeing all the things that I have to do. Sigh…If only I could stop thinking of the things that I have to do so I could keep that smile on my face. It became a pattern. I would feel lazy to go to class but when I am already there, I forget all the things that worry me, and after class I am worried again. Even if I think that I’ll be fine once I step into the classroom, I still felt lazy to go. It’s just like a spell that I am in. MY STUDENTS PUT A SPELL ON ME!!! But what a good spell! This is the beauty of the teaching profession: that you really get tired preparing which can even stress you out and the joy of the actual teaching. Now I understand why the book of Dr. Torralba is entitled “The Joys of Teaching” and not “The Joys of Preparing Lesson Plans”! But of course, I still believe in the help that LPs give a teacher.

I am actually easy to enthuse. I am pretty much self-motivated. I just have to go to a bookstore and immerse myself in Literature books or just simply browse through them and already get high! My classes in the university gives me added motivation as well because it gives me new ideas on pedagogy which I try to apply in the real setting as soon as I can and remember. One thing I’m sure: a teacher can never be motivated by money forever or let’s just say that a real teacher is never motivated by money because THERE IS NO MONEY IN TEACHING! (Not unless you are going to teach in the tertiary level, right?) It is not an easy job to be a teacher, but enthusiasm and real interest in the children’s education ease the requirements a bit. But of course, we cannot neglect the fact that we need money to satisfy the basic needs of the human person like food.

Sometimes, thinking of the future of my students motivate me to teach them well. I also have to admit that at times I demand a lot from my students. I expect college quality papers from them. I give them these requirements so that they get good training from high school so when they reach college, they already have good writing skills which most freshies lack when they get to college. I also have to admit that at times, I also feel very proud of the works of my students. In fact, a student’s paper is much better than my own freshman college paper in Literature! I want them to be proud of this skill when they get to college so they would not have a hard time like I did. This is what motivates me to teach: I don’t want them to experience the same difficulty I had when I started college. Sometimes, they would tell me, “Miss, we are not yet college students and you already ask us to write a thesis paper!” They’ll appreciate what I demand from them when they get to college. Of course, I want them—the first batch of Rosehill most especially—to be proud of their school for training them well in written and verbal communication.