23/08/2026
๐๐ข๐๐จ๐ ๐ก | Mercy upon us
I hate it when I am being blamed for things I didn't do.
When I was in 12th grade and couldn't decide which program to take in college, I half-heartedly chose Education. Whether it was a calling or a result of indecisivenessโbecause I am a LibraโI was assured that this path is secure and noble, and has far less accountability than what the government has when it comes to national concerns. Because at the end of the day, I will just teach.
The excessive amount of doomscrolling I did on Wednesday led me to Usec. Claire Castroโs speech after the Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting incident. What struck me was her deliberate blame on educators for an incident that was out of their control. Teachers, again, bear the mud of a broken system.
โ... Isa sa nakikita rin ditong solusyon ay dapat ang mga kabataan natin ay nagagabayan, hindi lamang ng kanilang mga magulang, kung hindi sa kanila mismong paaralan. Minsan na po nating nakita mismo ang mga g**o ay lumalabag sa ganitong klase ng moralidadโฆ โ
After three years of training to become a professional teacher, I understand that shaping a studentโs behavior is part of the responsibility that comes with teaching. However, it is not a responsibility that falls on teachers alone. Morality is taught at home; lessons are taught in schools. Teachers can guide, correct, and model appropriate behavior, but they cannot be expected to replace the role of parents or guardians in a child's moral development, entirely, all at once.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a little reprimand over a student misconduct. But I wouldn't expect teachers, whose desks already pile up with unmerciful paperwork and administrative duties beyond teaching hours, to also bear the burden of watching children closelyโoverthinking if a student might show up armed and suddenly turn a supposed safe school environment into a bloodied ground.
With less than a month before I get deployed to one of the public schools in Batangas City for my field study, the misplaced blame on this profession leaves me disheartened of what future awaits me.
Children deserve protection, but school teachers also deserve the same amount of shield against forces that may endanger their workplace. Since the prohibition of corporal punishment and the implementation of DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, or the Child Protection Policy, teachersโ hands are tied.
The ex*****on of these policies are important to safeguard students, but they also reflect how the roles of teachers became increasingly careful and regulated. Educators are expected to correct misconduct without causing harm and to maintain order without overstepping boundaries.
While I do not agree with teachers giving punishments however they want, positioning teachers without any training and support to confront far more serious threats upfront, and without any special laws backing them up, is overexpectation. They would not leave the ground unscathed.
Even more so, they are not immune.
Just last month, two major physical assault incidents involving teachers and students occurred in the country. One was in Maco, Davao de Oro, where a teacher was beaten by two student siblings after enforcing a school grooming policy. Another was a separate fatal assault case in New Washington, Aklan, which led to the teacherโs demise.
With these incidents, isn't it time for the government to review existing policies and prioritize teachersโ safety while also reinforcing laws for better student safety and surveillance?
Now, as the Department of Education prepares to conduct a Nationwide School Safety Drill for Active Attack Incidents on August 25, I challenge the agency to look beyond drills and ask whether schools are truly equipped to protect each stakeholder when threat occurs. Preparedness needs to go beyond rehearsing emergencies.
Schools are beginning to cause greater fearโwhether caused by external forces or brought about by psychological pressures that students themselves carry. This is a critical national concern that should not be left in the hands of workers already drowning in reports and lesson plans.
The government must stop treating teachers as the first line of defense for every problem that enters the school. It needs to provide stronger safety measures, clearer policies, and adequate assistance for both teachers and learners, because keeping schools safe should never be the sole burden of teachers.
Until all these remain undone and neglected, I stand to be blameless.
via Leahlyn De Torres
Layout by Aaron Inciong
