Teaching as a Mission

Since my early childhood, I had always been very fond of my teachers. Maybe it was because of my extroversion that I got along with people regardless of age, or maybe it was their devotion as teachers that made me feel at home at school, giving me the fondest memories: My pre-school teacher giving me star-shaped stamps; my grade school teachers believing in my academic potential despite my occasional misbehavior; my junior high school teachers and guidance counselors inspiring me to pursue my abilities especially in creative writing, public speaking, and debate; my senior high school teachers illuminating and paving paths I can take in the future when I felt lost; and, of course, my college professors, spiritual formators, and guidance counselors guiding me like angels throughout the ups and downs of my college journey. Even now, as my colleagues, they are all, still, sources of encouragement and strength as I pursue my academic career. Indeed, I am who I am today because God made Himself known through all these people — His instruments that allowed Him to fulfill His most Holy Will, including the molding of the youth. Perhaps, this is the mission of those in the teaching profession.

The mission of teachers is not to be the source of all knowledge for we must acknowledge that we are far from being all-knowing. It is not merely being a facilitator of learning for we are so much more than mere gears of the educational system. Rather, we are called to be instruments of God, extensions of His gentle and loving hands, in molding and forming the youth — not only to become functional members of society but to become the individuals that God willed them to become: those of who grow in His image and likeness through His love and grace. It is more than just a profession. Rather, it is a vocation, a mission, and for the many chosen ones, it is their ikigai — their direction or purpose in life, their source of fulfillment, satisfaction, and a sense of meaning.

Personally, my desire for teaching began in senior high school ever since I received a career test result that showed that I am suitable for the profession. Four years later, my vocation as a college instructor began. There were doubts, of course, since indecision took a toll on my mind as soon as I graduated college last April. But, as always, God created a path when I thought I was lost in the woods. My former college professors contacted me to send my application to teach part-time as they encouraged me to join them in the department. Lo and behold, I became a college instructor two to three months after my college student life came to an end.

That didn’t mean I stopped doubting, of course. I still question the circumstances, asking myself things like, “Am I REALLY qualified to be here?” But then again, I realized that everyone starts somewhere. Even the doctorate degree holders I look up to were once fresh graduates working in academe with no experience. And so, in times when I feel like I have the Impostor’s Syndrome, I remind myself that I wouldn’t have been here in the first place if I weren’t capable and if no one believed in me. In addition, I find comfort in the thought that God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies — He EQUIPS — those He has called. In my case, I do faithfully believe that I, a newbie in the working world and in the teaching profession, was called to be here and that God constantly works on my growth in this endeavor every day.

In my three weeks of teaching, I get the same set of emotions when something feels right: 1. There is peace that everything that I say and do seems to come so naturally; 2. There is faith, the confidence that the unknowns of the future will be good, that the skills improvement of teaching takes place daily and constantly as I devote my heart and mind to the vocation; and most importantly, 3. There is love. To quote Scott Peck, “Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth… Love is as love does. Love is an act of will — namely, both an intention and an action.” In my three weeks in this vocation, I’m still as enthusiastic as ever, knowing that this endeavor is a form of love and service for God and for His people. After all, there is no more noble path than that walked by those who desire to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly. (Mica F. De Los Reyes)