WHEN LISTENING TO THE SILENCE IS NOT ENOUGH

This one is dedicated to my students as this week they sit their examinations.

Well, the new year is here and the first semester will be over by the time this weekend is over. At least that is what is happening at CCC Day and Evening Divisions.
It is therefore, time for me to worry because this is the time when we see if the students have applied themselves or not.

A dear friend said just this past weekend that examinations are useless because they do not really measure what the student has learnt and most of what he or she has learnt cannot be used in everyday living either. If the student has not learnt anything in the last four and a half months or is unable to pass the examination who has failed? The student or the teacher?

It grieves me each semester to see that some students seem to care less whether they pass or not. I think back to my secondary school days. We were so into studying and what we were learning was definitely at a higher level than what the student gets today. So what has become the problem? Why is there little regard for learning and making good grades.

Parents will want to say that the teachers have the fault. They believe if their child fails the teacher is to blame. Teachers on the other hand believe that students fail because parents do not dedicate enough time to seeing that their sons and daughters study and do all assigned work.

With all the pointing and blaming going around, no one has taken the time to really study the student. While some students will talk to a teacher or counsellor about what they are feeling or suffering, not every student feels they can do this. So most of the time we are left with no idea as to why the student did not excel in school.

It is time for us to become actively responsible for those under our care whether we are the parents or the teachers. Talk to those students whom you see are failing or whose grades have taken a turn for the worst. Leave no stone unturned. They are our children and as such we owe them that much. Let us take them into our care and show them that with love all is possible.

Students, it is time for you to speak up. Don't leave the teacher to listen to the silence in this case. Tell them what your problem is and ask for help. No man is an island. Don't try to do things on your own. You owe that much to yourself.

Yours for a better future,
Brenda Aurora Ysaguirre