BY EDISON MARTE SICAD
“To be viral without substance.”
FREEDOM of expression is not only anchored on personal rights. For such an expression to be valid (or I may say, civilized) it must also be guided by responsibility. With more reason that we have to be cautious about artistic expressions that could be intrusive to the deep-seated beliefs of other people.
For there are those who express themselves advocating creativity—an authentic expression of passion; and there are those who are only after for attention—those who are popular for being viral. Sickening.
It has been going on for some time now: the persona non grata declarations. For me, the most effective deterrence is To Pay No Attention: do not make a news out of it: not a drop of ink, not a bit of data giving an update about the issue. No comment. No discussion. Nothing at all.
There is no need to declare persona non grata. Such declarations are only giving recognition to how effective the act was in seeking and gaining more attention. We are the ones being played at. Non-recognition would then be the best option.
Because this type of news—or kind of person—feeds on attention. The person’s power to influence comes from the attention given to the issue. (But I doubt if news outlets or social media platforms will have the courage to not give any attention to this person.)
“By position and not by competence.”
Weeks ago, I met some of my friends, who were my classmates in postgraduate studies, for a long overdue videoke bonding. We have not seen each other for almost five years. That’s a lot of new stories to share: from married life, to having children, to finishing a PhD, and even to changing careers.
But there is one story that I would repeatedly hear from them: the unnecessary, burdensome work that plague the teaching profession. An irony actually: that their passion for teaching gets dissipated or drained by their profession as teachers.
I cannot see the logic in it nor the justice behind it. How can a teacher get jaded by the very institution where passion meets action? To some, the sought-after dream has become an inescapable nightmare.
And now, DepEd goes “minimalist” to the extreme. Another irony actually: while teachers are trained—and expected—to support research findings with relevant and updated related literature which may include valid statistical tools, rigorous data analysis, and peer review conferences, they must also follow an across the board, very opinionated, highly presumptuous, and totally non-academic directive of “No Classroom Decorations.”
You just can’t reason with unbridled power that is now fueled by intelligence funds. Although we sometimes say to students that “Knowledge is Power,” in reality—in this Department—Power IS Power.
And I, together with my friends, on that videoke night out, may be already rendering a swan song to our ideals about the teaching profession.
“Ruled by responsibility and not overpowered by fault.”
There is this colleague of mine whose mindset is into problem-solving and not problem-worrying. No matter how difficult the situation is, he would immediately go into problem-solving mode: solutions, alternatives, and anything or anyone in between are taken into consideration to solve or manage the situation; immediate actions and adaptations to results happen in all directions.
The presence of problems or the committing of mistakes makes him more confident and decisive. In this area of skill development, I do admit I am still a novice. And so, the learning continues:
1. Solving my own problem by owning the fault that will lead to personal responsibility. No self-pity, sense of helplessness, or wallowing guilt: to learn while mistakes are happening and still never losing my ability to think of ways to make things better; to accept the consequences without being immobilized by my faults.
2. To help solve other people’s problem: because it is my responsibility as part of the team and to not dwell anymore into blaming. To just get into the action: a spontaneous act of leadership.
3. To be humble and teachable while holding on to my ideals.
IN CONCLUSION, learning is a humbling experience of accepting total responsibility for everything in my life. To take charge, to adapt, to never give up, despite the frustrations and setbacks. Of course, it is always easier said than done. And so, when things get really difficult, I remind myself of this statement, “At this very moment, all I have is all I need.”/PN
