Mga Bungang Isip ni Christopher Zoloan

Chalk, and the Shifting Educational Paradigm

Chalk, and the Shifting Educational Paradigm

[Note: a watered-down version of this article appeared on Vol. XVII, No. 1, 2019 issue of The Horizon, retitled "Bullets for Soldiers, Chalk for Teachers"]

"Wait, what? That huge of a sum... You mean thousands for chalk allowance! That's a lot! You guys are lucky!" My incredulous friend exclaimed, from time to time with mouth wide open and jaws dropping. Clearly, he did not know anything about teachers' benefits as he worked in a private company.

"Yes, I said, smiling. Some teacher groups from all quarters has been fighting for our rights, that it has come to that. Many years ago it was just around a few hundred pesos."

"So, are you going to spend the whole five thousand on sticks of chalk?"

I laughed, because there lies the problem. First of all, who in his right mind would buy ₱5000 worth of chalk? Seriously, hundreds of pesos would do, but five thousand? Are teachers going to eat boxes of allergy-inducing dusty stuff until their face go white like cemetery paintjob? Or, what, serve sticks upon sticks of chalk to pupils on a daily basis? Surely no! Anyone who would even try such maneuvers surely did not pass the psychiatric test, and would rather be sent to the nearest mental institution.

If then, what is it for? Why such an amount for "chalk allowance", and if it indeed looks quite handsome for its purpose, why do we teachers still ask for more? I know, for this reason most of us have been cast in a negative light because we seem to ask more, when the reason seems to be what, something as simple as chalk?

What people, and society in general forget to look into, is the current development in education. It is so close, and everywhere, that people seem to never see or relate to it. The trend today, and the road to tomorrow's learning, is the fast-paced information and technological development. Kids today, learners in general, are immersed in gadgets and technology in an unprecedented pace that teachers struggle to get by, without being technologically equipped. How would teachers engage learners, tablets and smartphones in their home and daily lives, with a handful of sticks that easily turn to dust?

Yes, the paradigm has shifted - from traditional materials to use in teaching like charts and the undying chalk, to modern technology in education. Yes, teachers today, need technology, gadgets, computers - name it, more than ever. It has become a necessity in their professional work. So much in fact, that beginning teachers would surely bite the dust if they would not invest in a decent laptop as soon as possible. Most teachers rely on computers and information technology for the majority of their work life, which they invest with, despite meager salaries. In fact, a lot of teachers' work involve a lot of lesson research and printing - all of this boils down to additional spending, more than the amount required to buy boxes of chalk.

Chalk allowance, it must be assumed, is the remnant of tradition. They compare it to bullets for the soldiers, chalk - a weapon we need for the daily battle of ignorance. As it stands, however, should it instead be called something else now? As the fight gets fiercer and the battlefield going larger, are we not losing ground here? It is high time, I think, for this to change its name, and go somewhere more fitting, for the glory of teachers, and for our childrens' future.