When the activities for this year's Teacher's Day were presented to us by our grade leader, my initial reaction was, what's going on? I thought it was a bad joke? Well, I was hoping it was. Of course, I knew beforehand.
The idea that I would be performing "Spaghetti Pataas" remixed with anthemic 90's dance hit "Always" was blasphemous, traumatic even. Heck, I am not thinking of my personal dignity, but I am more concerned with the mental health of the audience. Anyway, I know the program meant well and one of its objectives was to showcase the teachers talent. But me dancing? Impossible....err...get me drunk first.
Speaking for my group, when each individual was asked what they wanted for Teacher's Day, the answers were as varied as the number of the members. One wanted a movie pass, another a lunch out, facial and beauty stuff, rest day, a date with a virgin err..I mean beer and gin, etc. I mean. it's our day, its like a birthday and there's the idea, no matter how illusory it was, that it was our day. But it was disconcerting when it was learned that the special day would become a fund raising day.
Personally, the idea was sacrilegious.
I think with the stress and work and the activities and programs and visitors and the children and the parents and the gamuts and gamuts of stuffs of everyday grind only to be told that a fund raising was at hand and that all teachers will perform, no exception as it was communicated to us, was the straw that broke the camel's back that prompted the teacher's club to seek a dialog with the school head. The dialog resulted to the clarifications of the misconceptions of the intentions for the occasion in the institution. (Sapatos ni Syon)
I am not privy to the conversation and as much as possible I try to stay away from school politics. I don't want to be a head ache to the school head and I am one of those employees who keep their head down, report to work on time, go home on time. Invisibility is the survival mechanism I have adapted.
But I was invited to a meeting and I have heard our school head's side verbatim and the clarifications on class observation and her decision to stop the fund raising.
Of course, it did not end there. the teachers consensus was to continue with the program. But I am not going to dance, I am willing to sweep the gym's floor to make up for dancing, it's very kind of our school head not to take my bet and simply smiled at me and said she will not ask me to do such thing.
It's tough to be a school head because the principal is the embodiment of the system that the teachers abhor so they are the ones who gets the flak from frustrations, stress, even the ire of the parents. Aside from the administrative jobs, they have to please the minor gods and the muses from the higher ups. I mean...they add to the stress.
I can't even put myself in their shoes because the complexity of the task add the thought of dealing with teachers who unlike pupils can fight back cowers me. The complexity of the task would kill me the first day.
Resentments build up due to stress, financial problems. personal problems, but in the end I believe that all of us are good people its just that we are all put under a lot of pressure that sometimes overwhelm us and turn us into something we don't want to be.
This event was bound to happen, its just a matter of time. It's a good thing it happened this early because the pressure has been released because below the straw that broke the camel's back are heavier and deeper stuffs that are pushing up and needs to be addressed with, and to which I say Caveat.
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