By: Margarita Ines “Zoe” Mauleon
President of Student Council SY 15-16
It was once said that “when someone is teaching, he, too, at the same time, is learning”. I believe that as students, we fully understood this saying during our Teachers’ Day celebration last October 7, 2015.
Realizing the importance of this quote to us as students, the Seniors proposed to be “Student-Teachers” for the day to see what it’s like being in the shoes (and clothes!) of a teacher. We took over the classes of teachers from preschool to grade 6.
Prior to the celebration, we prepared lesson plans, handouts, activity sheets, and games after consulting the teachers that we were assigned to. The actual day started with us, student teachers, fetching our students from their classrooms and accompanying them to the field for our morning assembly. Giggling in their lines were the students upon seeing our very own teachers leading us in saying a prayer, singing the national anthem, reciting the Panatang Makabayan, and echoing our school hymn, which is normally done by students.
As soon as that was over, we brought our students back to our classrooms and commenced with our lessons. It was a nerve-racking situation since it was our first time to teach and some teachers were roaming around to check on us. In my Social Studies class with grade 5, the students were very participative and it was very interesting hearing their ideas. I realized then that being a teacher is even more significant than I thought it was. I recognized that at that moment, I was speaking to future leaders, and I understood that all professions will always need certain foundations that only teachers could give. And that, I believe, is what’s so difficult and at the same time so special about being an educator.
It is very important for us to show our appreciation to the efforts that our teachers give in preparing everything and in imparting their knowledge to us as it takes a lot of sacrifice on their part to do that.
My favorite part about the day was when I was giving candies to my kids as they answer my questions correctly. But one of them approached me and said “You know, it’s okay not to give us any of that. You already taught us and I think that’s better than candy.”
It is truly an honor to experience being a teacher for a day. I am truly excited for the years to come and hoping that this Teachers’ Day celebration will become a yearly tradition for Bannister, as I want it to fulfill everybody as much as it has fulfilled me.