Overworked? Underpaid?
What does it take to stay as a Public School Teacher in the Philippines?
Just the start of September, many videos and posts about "Teachers wanting to resign from the Department of Education Philippines" on different social media like Facebook and Tiktok have gone viral and spread all over the internet.
Many of my co-teacher shared and forwarded the "post" to our Group Chat (Messenger) and almost all teachers reacted. Some seconded and agreed on the idea of resigning, others criticized the government and the system itself while some choose to defend our noble job. The trending post also triggered worries and caused uncertainties for College Students who are currently taking up a Bachelor of Education and whose dreams are to apply and become a Public School Teacher (a government employee) in our country.
What is a teacher and what is a Public School Teacher?
I am one of the proudest every time I hear the definition of what a teacher is. A teacher is an educator who helps students learn and acquire knowledge, competence, and virtue. (Wikipedia). The communities called us the living heroes.
Meanwhile, a Public School Teacher is a teacher who works in the government, teaching and giving education to students in free public schools. Public school teachers plan and teach lessons according to the country's Education.
"Teacher ka sa DepEd?"(Are you a teacher in DepEd?)-is the most beautiful coveted question any teacher would like to hear! This line alone speaks for competence, victory, and stability. Securing a spot in the Department of Education Philippines is not an easy process. It requires competent Educational background, experience, hard work, and patience during the application and ranking process. Not to mention the cost during the job application and the tight competition
So,
What are the Benefits and Allowances of a Public School Teacher?
Aside from the Monthly Basic Salary which varies from our Teaching Position (T1, T2, T3, MT1, and on, we also have the Mid-Year and Year End Bonus (every May and November) which is equivalent to the Basic Monthly Pay, we also have the following benefits for the whole year:
☑️ Clothing Allowance worth 6,000php.
☑️Cash gift every December-5,000php
☑️Performance Based Bonus (PBB) Annual- 50-60% of the Monthly Basic Salary
☑️Productivity Enhancement Incentive (PEI)- 5,000php Annually
☑️PVP Proportional Vacation Pay- these are our Salaries during Christmas Vacation and Summer Breaks.
☑️Cash Allowance- 5,000php/year but this increased yearly.
We are also entitle for Maternity, Paternity, and Study Leave. The detailed benefits are here.
YOU'RE RIGHT we have plenty of allowances and benefits but why many teachers would still want to resign and leave the Department?
JOB DESCRIPTION VS. JOB IN REALITY
From the word TEACH itself, our main job is to teach using appropriate and innovative teaching strategies. As clear as the crystals, our job descriptions are: facilitate learning, monitor and evaluate students' progress, undertakes activities to improve performance indicators, supervises the curricular and co-curricular project and activities and the list goes on and on and on to "Does related work". Source TeacherPH
If you're going to look at it, our job is to teach and educate students inside the four corners of our classrooms. Memorandum 291 series of 2008 of DepEd allows teachers to allot 6 Hours only for actual teaching per day while the remaining two hours are to be spent in our auxiliaries and to other " teaching-related" activities. This is also stated in the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers or RA 4670.
BUT unknown to everyone are the untold stories and workloads, and the hidden burdens of the Public School Teachers.
THE REALITY
OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID
1. No. Of Working Hours
The 6 hours of classroom teaching have become 8 hours of teaching. Teachers are teaching from 8:00-12:00 to 1:00-5:00, the other 2 hours supposed to be for our ancillaries and for other paperwork like checking and recording and lesson preparations are long gone. We are teaching 8 hours straight, moreover, we still have our coordinator ships to do like being advisers to different clubs and organizations and another big outside-class task personally given by the school principal.
Some teachers work overtime but receive no additional compensation at all.
2. A file of Documents and Reports to be submitted.
Imagine a teacher diligently teaching his class the whole day and then asked to submit a document and deadline the next day. 😅
If you are a teacher who can't handle the stress and pressure caused by this paperwork with the ASAP deadline, like the others you will eventually, lose your passion for teaching.
What are these documents then? These documents and reports are not just one document that can be done in just 15-20 minutes, these documents require a whole night or a couple of days to finish. * If you are a teacher, will you focus first on making the reports and leave your class for that day (Public School students behave differently compared to Private School students) or set aside the reports, focus on your class and wait till the principal will call you and ask why have you not submitted the reports.? Think of it.*☺
3. A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER IS AN ALL-IN-ONE JOB
I was talking with my sister the other night (She's a public school teacher too in Grade 1) (Excuse me for the story I'm about to share). She shared her recent hilarious experience with her Grade 1 pupil the little boy who pooped his shorts. My sister had no choice but to clean not just the kid but also the floor (wet ****) and wash his shorts. I laugh at what happened and told her, "That's your job! You're a teacher!)Haha. Experiences like this are fun to hear, but these are very common to lower Grade teachers of Public schools.
Aside from this role of a Public School Teacher, Public School Teachers automatically become the gardener, the carpenter, painter, host for an event, nurse, sometimes food providers to poor students, a counselor, and lawyer (insert students fighting and combating), and a lot of work to mention. One more thing, teachers also become the financer every time a teacher does and create something to beautify his/her room.
These are the realities in the field of Public Schools. Am I complaining?" No, I am not." Do I plan to resign? "Why would I?"
I've seen the hardship of the teachers. I for one was able to experience everything of these, I fell in love with teaching and I'll stay in love. I always put passion into everything I do for the betterment of the students and the school. This was my Oath when Deped hired me and I always remind myself of the happiness and excitement I felt on my first day!
PROUD AND HAPPY TEACHER.👩🏫
I am teaching 8 hours a day. I am a class adviser to my 43 Grade12 students. I have several ancillaries, big and small ones. I have several documents and reports to prepare too because of my coordinator ship and some outside-class task given by the School Principal.
I am a hypocrite to say that I didn't complain once. Hehe. I complain a lot of times during my first year of service. Though I complained I was still working on my task. Until one day, I learned the art of working smart. I focus on the good things rather than criticizing the system and because of that, I become grateful every day for my job.
After all, if you choose a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life.🥰