I enjoy teaching. It was a way for me to escape from my confined state as an associate lawyer working in a firm. Back then, sukang suka na ako sa ginagawa ko sa law office. There was nothing wrong with my boss or co-workers, they were all good people. It was the work. I felt suffocated by it. Teaching allowed me to breath again. It acted like a paper bag one blows into to relax.
Today, teaching serves the purpose of freeing me from my duties and responsibilities as a local politician. Minsan, ang hirap humarap sa mga tao kung wala kang perang iaabot sa kanila. Minsan, ang hirap sabihin sa wala kang magagawa sa poblema nila. Ang bigat ng feeling. Teaching makes me forget I have those kinds of problems.
Now my class is in Manila. Quezon City to be exact. That doesn't look right, especially my official place of work is Laoag City.
And so I applied at the nearby university here in Ilocos, which is Northwestern University. I told my secretary I wanted a teaching load on business law. I could teach Obligation and Contracts, Corporation, Partnerships, Agency, Negotiable Instruments. Basta commercial law.
"Opo, sir," sabi niya. And then one day she called me over the cell. I was busy talking to someone that I only heard her say there was an opening. Crim law 2 daw. I didn't pay so much attention I said okay.
And then I had my first class with my criminology students.
CRIMINOLOGY?!
CRIMINAL LAW 2?!
What the f*%k did I get myself into?
Yeah, I wanted to teach. But you have to know what your teaching, right?
I knew nothing about crim!!!
Sure, I had Crim Law 1 & 2 and Crim Pro in law school, but that was eons ago.
What did I do?!
Pero andyan na eh. Kelangan panindigan.
Pero kung ano experience ko sa Miriam, opposite naman dito sa NU.
Sa Miriam, puro babae studyante ko. Sa NU, puro lalake. My gosh, na-culture shock ako sa first class ko sa NU. Di ako nasanay. I had to look more serious.
Sa Miriam, taxation ang tinuturo ko ngayon. Hard, but at least I know the subject. Sa NU, like I said earlier, Crim Law 2. Eh, puro crimes and penalties yun eh. Hirap nun ah. At hindi na kaya ako updated.
Sa Miriam, I can communicate in english and filipino. Sa NU, mukhang filipino and ilocano and medium of instruction. Nung in-english ko, wala silang reaction eh. Nung nag-ilocano ako biglang naintindihan. Mauubusan ata ako ng Ilocano sa class kong ito.
kung ikumpara ko ang classes ko sa Miriam at NU, parang araw at gabi. Parang north and south. polar opposites.
Sigh. Ano pa magagawa ko. Andyan na yan eh. Tuloy ko na yung dalawa.
After all, teaching is teaching. We're shaping the minds of the country's future. Go, go, go!
2 comments:
good day! senior brod!
that's like a microcosm of the divide between the northern and southern parts of luzon, and the polar differences of the sexes, as well as the corporate vs street application of the law.
must be really enjoyable. :)
it's very challenging
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