Titser - Sabigan MJ.pdf

Sabigan, Mariel Josef N.

Dec. 9, 2014

2013-32662

The Teacher and the Society Liwayway A. Arceo, through her novel Titser, presents the still-occurring struggle that is often overlooked in a plethora of issues that plague the country like famine, massive poverty and government corruption which are deemed more important. It is disturbing to perceive that the difficulties that teachers experience–meager salary and yet exhausting work–as portrayed in the novel which was written back in 1995, is still here in the “modern, and hi-tech” 21st century. This novel portrayed these struggles through the couple Amelita and Mauro as they chose the course of being low-paid teachers despite impracticality. Even if they are discriminated, especially by Amelita’s mother; in the end they had proven the value of their chosen profession. The setting of the novel is a community in a Philippine rural town. The main protagonist of the novel is Amelita, a teacher. Mauro, another teacher, is Amelita’s husband. The theme of the novel revolves around how Aling Rosa – Amelita’s mother – gets involved with Amelita’s decisions regarding her career and love life. It also focuses on how Amelita and Mauro, as husband and wife, respond to the needs of their community, particularly in its upliftment and development through their being teachers. The other characters in the novel are Osmundo, Mang Ambo, Aling Idad, Rosalida (also known as Lida), Lety, Felisa, Norberto, Jose, Lourdes, and Enteng. Osmundo was the former suitor of Amelita, a wealthy man preferred by Aling Rosa for Amelita. Mang Ambo is Amelita's father, a more understanding parent than Aling Rosa. Aling Idad is Mauro’s mother. Rosalida is the daughter of Amelita and Mauro. Lety is Rosalida's cousin, daughter of Amelita’s older brother Norberto and the favorite granddaughter of Aling Rosa in spite of her insulting Rosalida often due to the latter’s needy appearance. Felisa, a physician; Norberto, an engineer; Jose, a lawyer; and Lourdes, a pharmacist are the affluent siblings of Amelita. Meanwhile, Enteng is an ex-convict, an “employee” of Osmundo. Enteng tried to kill Mauro, for Osmundo, since he owed Osmundo gratitude for financing his child’s education while he is in prison. However, the help that Mauro extended to Enteng’s child made the latter change his mind and instead flee the town and from the grasp of Osmundo. In the conclusion of the story, the villainous characters of Aling Rosa and Osmundo achieved closure at last from their conflicts with Amelita. Learning it the hard way, Aling Rosa felt the love and importance that Amelita gave her after getting severely sick despite her rebukes and insults. Her other children–Felisa, Norberto, Lourdes, and Jose–did not even bother to visit her although she went to them often in the city. On the other hand, Osmundo focused more of his attention on helping others, including Lida, and the community instead of himself and found happiness and eventually settlement there.

There is a multitude of different reasons why any person chooses the career path that he or she does. Many people will choose a career because it is what is expected of them. Many people will go into a certain career field because it is something that they wanted to do since they were little kids. Many people will choose a specific career because of the money-making potential. All of the aforementioned reasons are some of the potential factors that determine which job people will seek out when it comes time to choose a real, life-long career. Becoming a teacher is a fairly prevalent career choice, so what are some of the factors that people consider when deciding that they want to become a teacher? A teacher is an honorable job; it is one of the foundations of a good community. The teacher is responsible for molding the citizens of a country. They have the honor and the privilege, the real "brains" of a country. Teachers are responsible for sharing knowledge to every citizen. In the Philippines, a teacher has to cope with the harsh conditions of the teaching area and try to teach effectively to students at the same time. It may be one of the most respected jobs in the country however; it is also one of the hardest professions available in the Philippines. There are many implications a teacher has to face; the lack of sufficient resources for teaching is an example. The salary of a teacher is not a huge amount compared to other professionals. While speaking of wages, it is one of the maladies of the society today that looks down on careers with low salaries. People deem that having a high wage is more important than the morality and essence of the job. It is not a matter of psychological fulfilment anymore but rather a measure of material success and accumulation. The character of Mauro, the primary inspiration of Amelita’s choice, shows just the opposite of that. His desire to serve his fellow ka-barrios overpowered the hardships that accompany the path of being a teacher. This could be summed up in the Oriental quote, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Moreover, all of his efforts paid off as tremendous improvements were brought on to the community which affected the life of his students as well. The role of a teacher in society is both significant and valuable. It has far-reaching influence on the society he/she lives in, and no other personality can have an influence more profound than that of a teacher. Many educationists have described the teacher in different ways. Some describe him/her as a dispenser of knowledge, while others see him/her as a leader, counsel or coach, facilitator and a role model. Whatever description one would want to use, the underlying issue still remains that the teacher plays a lead role in determining the future of students and society. A good and visionary teacher can play a prominent role in making the future of his/her students, while a corrupt teacher can only harm his/her students, than a class of corrupt and

perverted judiciary, army, police, bureaucracy, politicians or technocrats. The teacher is an architect of any future generation. So to assume the responsibility of a teacher, one has to be competent, morally upright and knowledgeable. Likewise, teaching has become more than a source of income for Mauro and Amelita. Their dedication is fuelled by their mission to help families live better lives. It even comes far as to shelling out their own money to pay for the matriculation of the students and giving them school supplies like paper and pencils. By giving hope to both students and families, they were able to share all the blessings showered upon them. Actually, the roles of the teacher are numerous and challenging. Aside of the classroom, the teacher must also be known outside the school system. He/she must be ready to go into research and community service. The teacher can indulge in other activities. The development of this country would continue to crawl should our education system remain purely bookish and classroom-based. The net must be cast wide and the one to lead in that venture should be the teacher. The teacher, having received and continue to receive requisite training and education, should be better placed to affect the lives of students and society. The school and the community are one. This implies that what affects the school also affects the community and vice versa. The teacher is the bridge between these two extremities. Listen to Jennifer Tylee (1992): 'The teacher, who is a variable in the classroom context, is charged with the function of acting as an intermediary between the variables outside the classroom and the students to assist the students in their learning' adding, 'The function of being an intermediary means that the teacher has the role of facilitating student learning, as well as being a part of the school and community'. Studies reveal that a hard working teacher is often admired by students and members of the general society. Aside academics, students also try to learn their teachers' mannerisms, modes of dressing, etiquettes, styles of conversation and others. For a student to grow up as a responsible citizen, the teacher is needed. Students are deeply impressed by their teachers, and are prone to emulate their characteristics. A popular teacher becomes the ultimate role model for his/her pupils. He/she is their ideal. It is at this point in a student’s life that a teacher takes on the role of a guide. The teacher has the power to stir a wayward youth away from danger and the power to guide a youth to achieve his goals. He/she has the power to inculcate the ideals of patriotism in the minds of the young students. In truth, children spend more and more time with their teachers as they progress in school. This is the reason why teachers also serve as second parents to their students. This can be seen in the way Amelita became inspired by Mauro in choosing teaching as a career as well. It is stated that she wanted to feel for herself the bliss and pleasure that Mauro felt

whenever he is teaching. She wanted to have the same respect given to her. And to most of all, share her knowledge to others. After teaching students Geometry and Arithmetic, for instance, virtues such as punctuality, truth, hard work, honesty, simplicity, hygiene, patriotism, love and sincerity, obedience, tolerance, etc., must also be propagated. Society needs these values to develop. It makes no sense for one to be intelligent but corrupt. Any education churned out must be holistic and development-oriented. The teacher must be well-resourced to be able to satisfy fully the needs of students and society. There are sectors within the society where the services of the teacher are needed. In the areas of agriculture, commerce, sanitation and health, culture, social welfare, governance, tourism and hospitality, the teacher is important. With the repertoire of acquired knowledge and skills and the trust reposed in him, the teacher can identify a pressing issue within these areas and try to give some enlightenment to society. Teaching should be extended to society where parents/guardians and other citizens can also have a feel of what the school stands for. The school and the teacher must be supported to deliver. And for the important parts they play, the gratitude of parents was readily shown in the novel during the christening of Amelita and Mauro’s child, Rosalida. The barrio folks gave food for the event and some offered help in the preparation. This is an evidence of the Filipino belief of ‘utang na loob’. At the same time, it demonstrates the fact that the general public appreciates the works and endeavors of teachers. Meanwhile, parents/guardians should supplement teachers' efforts at promoting education in the country. Teachers must develop satisfaction for their profession and heartily perform their duties even in the face of some challenges. As long as our schools continue to lack quality teachers, textbooks, ICT equipment, laboratories, technical and vocational materials and other educational infrastructure, it would be difficult for them to extend much support to society. Conclusively, teaching isn’t really just a profession. It is a vocation. It requires selfsacrifice, and being able to offer oneself for the sake of the students. This job may not be one of the highest paid jobs in this world, but it is on top of the most rewarding and self-fulfilling job humans have created. It is so because teaching creates other professions. This may sound cliché but this really is true. We will never have doctors, lawyers, architects and any other profession if not for a teacher who has painstakingly taught us and saved us from ignorance. Teachers are the agents of education. They educate students to become better individuals and to eventually become the country’s future leaders. Students are being trained to unearth what

is best in them. Their skills and potentials are shaped by a teacher who devotes time and efforts in cultivating the good values and intelligence of students. The sacrifice done by an ordinary teacher is immeasurable and cannot be replaced by any monetary reward. The teacher’s determination to always do what is best for the students is something that cannot be replaced by any form of material thing. Titser emphasizes the stereotypical life of a teacher. The plot was not that dynamic and sentiments weren’t that extreme. But what strikes the most is the reality the novel expresses which makes it extremely admirable. Different Filipino values and culture were illustrated by Arceo. One can learn different lessons about love, family relations and the wonderful things you can do by being passionate in your own career. It ingrains the view that it doesn't matter if your profession has the lowest salary, what matters is the love you have for what you are doing and the happiness that it brings. Do your passion and success will follow.