By Eva C. Visperas

 

HAPPY days are here for teachers, at least for one month!

No tasks, no activities, no disturbances from their superiors. Just pure family and me time, to offset, albeit temporarily, the precious moments they should have spent with their loved ones, most especially for their personal well-being.

The memorandum issued by the Department of Education on February 24, 2024, by lawyer Revsee Escobedo and Francis Cesar Bringas, undersecretary and assistant secretary for operations respectively, set the guidelines for the mandatory 30-day vacation for teachers.

Item 7 of DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2023 states, “No voluntary or mandatory tasks or activities shall be assigned to teachers from June 1 to 30, 2024.”

It was addressed to regional directors, schools division superintendents, public school heads, and others concerned.

In other words, all teaching personnel shall not be required to report to their respective schools. In bold, all capital letters, the memo states: “Mandatory physical or virtual participation in both DepEd and non-DepEd activities and/or events are likewise prohibited during the said dates.”

Wow, this is a welcome move!

I asked a niece who works as a teacher in a public school in San Carlos City. She said she felt like she was living in another world, at least for the past week, because she had all the time for herself. She did whatever she wanted, went wherever she desired, binge-watched her favorite movies, arranged clothes in their closets, and tended to her garden once more without worrying about missed calls from her principal or other DepEd bosses for particular assignments  they want finished outside teaching hours.

“No disturbances, at last, so I’ll make the most of it. Hopefully, this lasts the whole of June,” she joyfully said.  This memo provides her full-time to take care of her young kids who are also on their year-end school break.

For any issues, concerns, and alleged violations, they can report to the Office of the Secretary via an e-mail address provided in the memo.

Our  stereotype of our teachers is that they work less and enjoy a good salary. Apparently not true. I have talked to a lot of public school teachers, and they all lament their unlimited time for work, even bringing home paperworks to finish even on weekends.

The task is tough and challenging, yet along the way, you feel fulfilled when you see your students doing well in their careers, thanking you for all your help.

But I never fully appreciated the noble mission of teachers until I became one, as an online tutor to foreign students since October last year.

When I was still in my mid-20s, I was offered a teaching job at a private university in Dagupan for a Bachelor of Arts in Communications curriculum. I thanked the owner for the offer, but I politely declined because I knew of the challenges to be an instructor to 30 or more college students in one class, preparing lesson plans, checking exam papers, computing grades, among others. And, I’m not good at Math, so I was afraid I might not be able to correctly compute their grades, which would give me headaches!

But now, here I am, excitedly approaching my senior years in the next two years, devoting my time to teaching the English language one-on-one with my foreign students. And I’m enjoying it. Yet, I still make sure that I give myself enough time to rest my mind and body.  And what’s good about it is I am my own boss!

To our dear public school teachers, have fun and enjoy your one-month free time. You all deserve it!

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