https://padlet.com/mara_gabriel/np43ehmt8tle Made with whimsy en-us 2018-02-12 10:29:18 UTC 2018-02-12 10:33:55 UTC hello@padlet.com mara_gabriel https://padlet.com/mara_gabriel/np43ehmt8tle/wish/230522023 Hi everyone! I am Mara A. Gabriel. 
It was in 2013 when I started to be in the teaching profession. A year after that, I was employed in a public school. It’s been years of thorough and tough experiences as a teacher in the field. I admit that I wasn’t flawless in my first year yet I would probably say that it’s a great and meaningful year for me because I’d learned a lot on the different aspects of being a teacher. I’ve learned three major qualities of being a teacher: flexible, goal-setter/achiever, and empathetic. It requires and entails a teacher to be flexible in all she does. I remembered when I was totally drowned in tons of works in my first two months of teaching with a new approach, Dynamic Learning Program (DLP). I was about to give up then yet I thought of one thing—the welfare of my students. I realized then that in order to mold students, I should start it from myself. I took into consideration the love and passion to work so that I could be able to manage and handle smoothly my works in great ways. Being flexible also could influence the students.This quality of a teacher immersed me in dealing stress and harmoniously teach my students. Whenever I see my students being happy inside my class, I felt complete and content because I can really do teaching well despite I have a large number of students with diverse cultures, behaviors, attitudes, and attributes. It’s really indeed a calling. The second quality I’ve learned as a teacher is being a goal-setter/achiever. Everything seems to be organized at work whenever I set goals. It really directs and instructs me on things that I should have to do. Whenever I set goals, the results are quality. Goals are best set with my students because when we achieve them, it’s truly priceless. I also instill in my mind that a day without goals is useless but a day with full of goals is beautiful. I’ve learned also to empathize children with diverse cultures, economic status, and traits. To be a teacher is also to be an empathetic person. I was a mother to my advisory class especially in their younger years in high school. I’d experienced to be a shoulder to cry on, a provider, an adviser and also a guidance counselor for them. I knew then that they needed me most as they shared with me their problems at home, by then, I felt their hunger for love and comfort. At those times, I realized that when they had felt that they are welcome into your life as their teacher, they contribute so much to the teaching-learning process. As time passed by, I let them feel that they weren’t different and unfortunate but they were beautiful creations of God. I usually spent time especially during Homeroom Guidance in pathing their tender ways so that they could soon meet success in their journeys. Empathy is putting oneself in the lives of the others. I’ve learned from my students a lot. I’ve learned the essence of contentment, happiness and make things possible with a smile. I’d been too serious at first and also a little bit not contented with some things in my life but when I handled students who are jolly, simple and loving despite their status in life, I fully realized that to handle things and problems should not be in hurry but take them easily. I learned also to choose to be happy and contented. One thing more, I had less fortunate students and I had also students who are in the middle class but when it comes to friendship, they are as ONE. They accept one another and made me value friendship and family. Once in a while, I do the reflection that if these students can smile all throughout, I could do smiling also as soon as I want to. I’ve learned to value life and how to take things easy because of them. I’ve learned how to lessen my sadness because they let me feel that I have lots of friends to keep me cheerful. Lastly, I’ve learned to be more humane and the essence of being a mother---who will do the best out of best just for her children. Being a teacher is really a self-giving and sacrificing job. It is not a one-stop-activity but a lifetime practice because you are handling humans, not things. I really need to mold the child to its very best aspect up to his/her unseen soul. I need also to do the best in order to cater his/her needs in terms of learning and living. I need to be a parent when he/she has problems and at the end, teaching is indeed worth it and fulfilling especially so when you see your students learning from the topic and life itself, saying, “thanks ma’am for being patient in teaching despite the naughty actions we had.”]]> 2018-02-12 10:30:34 UTC https://padlet.com/mara_gabriel/np43ehmt8tle/wish/230522023