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PoCH Martial Law Special
Today, people commemorate the 40th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law. To help students become more aware of this fading historical memory, Psych O'Clock Habit, the UP Psych Department's radio program on DZUP decided to have a Martial Law special last night. While I sat there listening, it dawned on me how little I really knew about the story of this era in our country's story. Aside from the edited stuff that they fed us in school and online, I haven't really been in touch with the humanity and the relevance of this period. Being someone born a year after the EDSA Revolution, I had to wonder what even younger people knew about Martial Law. It would be pretty safe to assume that they know even less than I do.
After all, we belong to a privileged generation that was born during a time when speaking up was the norm, and elections meant hearing politician's faces plastered everywhere and putting up with traffic jams caused by campaign convoys. But how have we really used this freedom that we are enjoying now? Have we used this capacity to make choices in a way that would actually make an impact on the lives of people around us? Probably not enough. As an educator, this democracy has allowed me to speak my mind in the classroom without fear of being punished severely (although I still feel a slight need to be guarded when teaching in a Catholic university in light of recent national events). But in the pressure to be able to teach my students all the concepts that are essential for them to pick up in a Psych 101 class, I have been unable to make them really understand the implications of all the things they have taken for granted. I'm no history professor, but I think it's still important for students to get a better grasp of their context and their possible impact on the society that they belong to.
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Speaking of teaching. I recently stumbled upon this article on what work is really for on the day that I (finally) got my first paycheck from UP. Of course, I began teaching knowing and constantly reminding myself that I'm not really gonna make money out of this job. I used to think that would be the biggest hurdle in deciding to continue teaching, but it dawned on me at the moment I read that article that this meager income may actually be a good thing. Of course, I might also be able to say this because I do market research on the side, and I consider this my main source of income. But when I look at the way I treat teaching versus market research, I see the truth in what the article says: work feels more like a burden when you're doing it for the money.
Because teaching is not the most lucrative of professions, there are greater motives that drive one to continue doing it. After all, you see people staying on for decades of their lives, and they're obviously not there to get rich. With my first sem almost over, I'm beginning to see what that's all about. Sure I may become exhausted after teaching three classes in one day, and dread the thought of checking mountains of papers. I occasionally feel happy about getting a no class day, and frustrated when my students don't listen or just don't get it. But I never felt like I'm doing it because I have to. I'm doing this because I chose to teach, even if there are other more materially rewarding professions that I can easily get into. Sure, I may eat these words when I start having to worry about supporting kids, but at this point in my life, I can say with certainty that I am where I want to be. I'm just fortunate to have also made good career choices in the past so I at least have some ways to make up for the shortcomings of the academic life.
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