Will the teacher become obsolete?

Dr. Onofre Pagsanghan, the quintessential teacher, once said that he knew of no other profession, other than teaching, where so much is asked and so little is given.

In their manifesto which now languishes in what probably is the quintessential dustbin of history, our public school teachers once said that “it is a sad commentary of our times that our low compensation and low morale have forced us to work even as domestic helpers in other countries, which can provide us with higher salaries and benefits to feed our families and to keep up with the rising cost of living. We [who] comprise almost half of all government workers remain [among] the lowest paid and most overworked in the country today. Our salaries are lower than our counterparts in the military and police, many of whom do not possess the college degree, qualifications and eligibilities required of us.”

At the time this manifesto was made public in April 2009, the big teachers’ groups like the Philippine Public School Teachers Association took issue with the fact that a private in the Armed Forces of the Philippines makes more than a Teacher I.

I suppose that the meager compensation is one of the reasons why teaching is not a prime career choice for our best and brightest graduates. This partly explains why the few who do make it into our education system tend to seriously consider working abroad. The working and living conditions overseas might be tough, but for these intrepid souls, the pay makes the sacrifice worthwhile.

Still, many are wondering whether the iconic image of the teacher standing in front of the classroom might turn into a relic from the 20th century.

The unprecedented technological advances that today’s generation has been witness to have led quite a few education professionals to contemplate a scenario of impending obsolescence of  the teaching traditions that our education systems have lived by for as long as we can remember.

In her analytical piece titled “The Most Daring Education Reform of All,” Diana Senechal begs to differ.

Senechal spent four years teaching English in New York City Public Schools. She is also an education reform advocate who truly understands digital technology. She writes that “Reformers of different stripes often malign the ‘traditional’ style of teaching, claiming that it has failed our children, that it has worked in the past but it no longer works (today). But what is traditional teaching? Critics often say that in the old days, the teacher stood in front of the classroom and lectured, and the students took notes silently. Children, they say were treated as ‘empty vessels’ to be filled, not as thinking human beings.”

Senechal contends that listening requires “the exercise of knowledge and reasoning.”

Many experienced educators that I’ve had the pleasure of talking with have told me the same thing: the lecture method unlocks and enhances the student’s ability to listen and absorb material, which they can then rely on to formulate their own thoughts and ideas. Senechal explains that “Forms of instruction deemed traditional have much to offer us still. To participate in class or group discussions, students need to learn to listen. Student collaboration is important, but it requires that students also work alone, so that they may bring something to each other. And students become active learners not only by talking and doing, but also by sitting still with their thoughts. A student who cannot listen to others is trapped in his or her own limited perspective.”

This ability—also known as critical thinking—is in fact most sought after in schools and in the real world.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to ask parents of public school pupils what they wished their children were taught in class. Almost all of them answered “sana yung mag-computer.” Believe it or not, the existing public school curriculum has a fairly well-conceived learning module on digital concepts. However, many teachers find it difficult to make meaningful connections to how the world today actually uses digital technology because the teaching tools at their disposal are so far removed from the digital content, delivered by platforms, like Facebook, Twitter or even texting, that their students or pupils consume on a daily basis. Many teachers I’ve met have expressed trepidation that their students have far more knowledge about digital processes—like how to create and upload a YouTube video—than they could ever hope to learn in their lifetime.

These teachers should not lose heart. Senechal says that “the ability to make a YouTube video or podcast will mean little in the long run [as] these technologies may be obsolete in another few years, but literature, science, languages, mathematics, history, music, art and drama will stay. Our schools are in need of repair, but we will not improve them by scorning tradition or succumbing to the claims of the present.”

For as long as the passion for learning and imparting knowledge burns brightly in them, teachers will always have a place in whatever world we have.

Butch Hernandez (butchhernandez@gmail.com) is the executive director of the Eggie Apostol Foundation.