Showing up for hundreds of students each day for years is no easy task.
Aside from educating students, teachers unknowingly take up different roles for each pupil, becoming more than just someone who teaches within the four corners of the classroom.
Laelani “Lai” Arocha, a Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) instructor at the University of Santo Tomas Senior High School (UST-SHS), doesn’t see herself as just a teacher, but as someone who goes beyond the conventional image.
“I never thought or saw myself as a teacher inside the classroom…. until I went to pursue a different career,” Arocha said, revealing that she used to be in the media and corporate world when she realized that being an instructor is the path she is meant to take. “Hinanap ng katawan ko ‘yung excitement inside the classroom, I find it exciting na mag-mentor ng young minds.”
Motherly figure
Arocha revealed that teachers being looked up to as motherly figures is a given.
As someone who teaches in one of the top universities in the Philippines, Arocha knows that each student has made a sacrifice to be present: “Most of them [my students] ay malayo sa pamilya nila, nanggagaling sa probinsya, sa mga ibang regions, mag-isa lang sa dorm… so ilan lang ‘yun sa mga factors na tinitingnan natin wherein they see me as a mother figure (Most of them [my students] are far from their families, coming from the province, from other regions, they are alone in the dorm… so those are just some of the factors we look at in which they see me as a mother figure).
“Ikaw naman talaga [yung hahanapin] kapag may kailangan [or] may concerns sila. For example, in relation to their academics… or if they are coping or not coping with pressure lalo na napakataas ng pressure,” she said.
Arocha knows her students have to rely on someone for emotional support, considering that her students feel the added weight of having to become academically exceptional in their respective classes.
However, she emphasized the need to foster a safe and inclusive environment where students feel comfortable sharing their academic and personal concerns, but asserted the need to respecting boundaries.
“I always make sure that my classroom is a safe space. So, at least with me, they are safe. Their secrets are safe with me. They can confide in me, pero hindi ako yung unang nag-ooffer that you can unload your problems with me,” she said, adding that there is no “one-size-fits-all” strategy to make her students become more vocal and comfortable with sharing their struggles.
Mentor
The SHS instructor refuses to be “just” a teacher but to become a guiding force that imparts her knowledge and skills to her students, empowering them to become more prepared and equipped to break barriers and confront the challenges of the real world.
“I would like to be called as a mentor, as a facilitator, rather than a teacher. Kasi kapag sinabi mong teacher, nagtuturo. Pero kapag sinabi mong mentor, ‘yung skills that I have, pinapasa ko sainyo… apprenticeship ‘yung nangyayari,” she said.
“Ang trabaho namin is to facilitate the experience, to actualize the experience,” she added, sharing that it is her responsibility to connect with students and make them understand lessons beyond the surface.
As a mentor, Arocha wants her students to understand that having high academic scores alone does not guarantee success in your chosen industry — what matters most is the practical application, demonstration of skills and being adept at handling real-life challenges.
“Magmamatter pagdating niyo sa industry ay ‘yung skills niyo, ‘yung pagiging people person niyo. Kung sobra kang inidivdualistic tapos hindi ka marunong makipag-collaborate sa iba, ekis ka,” she said.
The one left behind
Arocha believes that her way of “making a mark” among her students is for them to remember everything they learned as they embark on a new chapter of their lives.
“Ang intention ko lang naman bilang teacher ay, one… ang maiwan lang sa kanila yung learnings and yung experience… Gusto ko lang maiwan sa kanila is ‘yung kwento ay maging lesson sa kanila,” she said.
She also believes that her ministry as a teacher is “being left behind.”
“Nagfa-fly kayo eh, kung saan saan kayo nakakarating. Pero kaming mga teachers, ang ministry namin is we are the ones left behind, and to us na makita siguro na mga students namin who are flying, who are achieving their dreams, may mga goals na sila na na-achieve, mas nagiging successful kaysa sa amin,” she said, looking back on how her previous students have already become successful in their chosen careers.
“That is the testament of the mark that we left kasi bahagi kami nung proseso. Because, after all, it is a learning experience. Trabaho namin is to provide the teaching and the learning experience, so if we are able to deliver that… achievement na ‘yon,” she added.