Teachers’ wish list
Teachers deserve more than breaks, bonuses, salary increases, or promotions. What they truly need is something deeper—something that rekindles, ignites, and sustains their passion for teaching. Without this spark, no reward can ever be enough. With it, education becomes alive, and classrooms become places where both teachers and learners thrive.
Teachers need time—time to listen to students, to reflect on questions, and to nurture ideas in class so learners can think deeply. They need opportunities to slow down and focus on what matters, to read beyond lesson plans, and to engage with knowledge without being overwhelmed by memos, reports, and endless paperwork.
They need freedom to make mistakes, to try again and again without fear of judgment or constant scrutiny. They deserve the chance to experiment, to discover what works, and to shape their classrooms with pride. Teachers are engineers of their own plans, architects of genuine interaction, and chefs of daily menus for diverse learners. They must feel the respect and trust as professionals whose decisions matter.
Education reform should rest on the shoulders of financiers, policymakers, and administrators, not on teachers alone. When freed from unnecessary burdens, teachers gain the energy to move from one class to another with joy—dancing, singing, smiling, whistling, and leaving each classroom with burning hearts. There will be a lot spaces for reflection, incubation of great ideas, and conversations with students.
Teachers must be seen as human beings—with families to support and dreams to fulfill. They deserve fair pay like any other citizen. They should not be used for political ambitions or propaganda, nor reduced to headlines about benefits they normally receive. What teachers need most is genuine appreciation—expressed not only on Teachers’ Day, but in every ordinary day when their quiet sacrifices shape extraordinary futures.
When education is truly valued, it will be evident in the time, resources, and energy invested by those who initiate reforms. Prioritizing education will give learners strong motivation to attend school. With proper investment, they will have access to books, better classrooms, wider roads, efficient facilities, proper nutrition, sanitation, and clean water. Teachers, however, cannot be expected to perform miracles—though they often do. The weight of unrealistic expectations leaves them exhausted, leading to burnout and even questioning their calling. At times, it drives some to leave the profession entirely.
Teachers deserve fairness, freedom of expression, and promotions that are due. Templates may guide them, but creativity must be encouraged. Delays caused by missed signatures, red tape, or rigid formats should be avoided. Teachers should have the freedom to reinvent the wheel.
Teachers should be given time with their families. Family time will restore their strength, renew their joy, and remind them why they teach in the first place.
Schools must be places of discovery, not prescriptions to swallow. Teachers should feel excited to go to work, eager for the next class, the next lesson, the next day. Their fire must be sparked to notice the unnoticed, nurture untapped talents, and open doors to new opportunities. That spark is enough to keep them in the profession, for their expertise and experience are among the nation’s greatest investments.
Teachers must be empowered to prepare the next generation for a better society. With trust and support, they can shape learners into citizens who carry hope, wisdom, and compassion into the future.
Teachers need not more lectures, but more opportunities to show what they can truly do. Give them the space to lead, the freedom to create, and the courage to innovate—because in those moments, the brilliance of teachers shines brightest. And when their light is revealed, it inspires students to discover their own.
When teachers are given the respect, freedom, and support they deserve, classrooms become places of wonder, not pressure. Passion is rekindled, creativity flows, and every lesson becomes a spark that lights the future. Empowered teachers raise empowered learners—and together, they build a society worth dreaming of.
Every Filipino child deserves this kind of education. Every teacher deserves the chance to make that vision real. And when that chance is given, miracles will no longer be rare—they will become part of everyday life, unfolding in every classroom, in every lesson, and in every learner’s heart.
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Khristian Ross P. Pimentel graduated from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Laboratory High School, from the Philippine Normal University, and from the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he is also finishing his Ph.D. He is a public school teacher. In October 2016, he published in Inquirer his Youngblood article “Reviving Hope.”
