ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FOR “THE GAWAD DEKANA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE” By: Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu* Respected Dean Atty. Liza Corro, my esteemed colleagues in the faculty, equally esteemed colleagues in the reps and staff, students, guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant afternoon to one and all. It is with great joy and sincere humility that I receive this “Gawad Dekana Award for Outstanding Performance”. I humbly accept this award and in gratitude thank the Social Science Cluster headed by our Chair, Prof. Rowena V. Mende for nominating me to this award. Permit me to share with you just very briefly my own perspective of teaching and share with you some insights why I still find much enjoyment in teaching even though I have been a teacher here in UP Cebu for more than 22 years already… The succession of semesters give opportunity for teachers to color their life with utmost flexibility and excitement in the midst of structured living—one could not find such a privilege in most occupations. The life of an academician is fairly predictable; however, it cannot be said that such a life is boring. Teaching is one of those few professions where a person is being paid for what she really likes to do. Life in the academe calls for innovativeness in the midst of structured schedules. Every semester affords an opportunity for self-reflection, self-criticism, and self-appraisal. Questions like: “How am I going to teach this difficult topic creatively?”, “How am I going to correct my pedagogical blunders last semester?”, How will I sustain the zest of the students in this mind-boggling topic?”—these questions enlarge our educational insights and allow our subject to become more relevant to the life of our students. More importantly, they give us an opportunity to commit ourselves and our whole being to be available and open to our students. Teaching gives us spiritual growth and emotive sensitivity; thereby softening our spirit to the needs of others. For an academician, the end of a semester or an academic year brings a sense of fulfillment and wholeness to his existence—this can be felt when with bittersweet emotion, a mentor bids farewell to the graduates. On one hand, he feels joyful that these students were able to hurdle all the difficulties of the academic life, on the other hand, a part of him has to let go of them upon their parting. Every new semester likewise provides a fresh start, a different inventiveness, a renewed daring, a novel resolve to do better, and a creative occasion to correct past mistakes. As of this juncture, let me quote from the British Anglican lay theologian, Rosemary Haughton’s book entitled, “Love and Expert Care”. Ms. Haughton gave this poignant observation with regards to the teaching process, I quote: “For an effective impartation of knowledge, I know of no other pedagogy except love and expert care… If you really love them, you would want to do something creative for your students; you would want the best absorption of the lessons to be instilled in the heart of your students… Perhaps the most disastrous thing that our detached and ‘unfeeling’ culture did to the teaching process is to separate expert loving care from our teaching pedagogy. Pedagogy is impossible without loving cultivation and expert care.” (From Rosemary Haughton’s book, Love and Expert Care. New York: Penguin Press, 1969; pp.189-190). Based on my own experiences in my many years of teaching, I can fully concur with the abovementioned observation of Ms. Haughton. To begin with, a teacher’s life is largely devoted to activities related to the impartation of knowledge. This is the sphere of life which is referred to as “teaching”. This sphere of the academician’s life involves not only classroom teaching and classroom management. It likewise involves what the European medieval teachers called “cura personalis” (personal care). “Cura personalis” means dedicated personal care or guidance on the part of the teacher for the holistic growth of his student’s life. “Cura personalis” is a very crucial function in our life as teachers since this involves the relationship between our students and us. A teacher needs to consider the question that is central to the administering of “cura personalis”: “How am I going to relate with my student that will be facilitative of his/her learning process?” It cannot be denied that relationship with our students can affect their learning inside the classroom. The medieval masters see their students as unique individuals and therefore they relate with their students based on their individual uniqueness and intellectual capacity. The consultation period is the opportune time where the teacher can manifest his personal guidance to his individual students. It is during this time where students may open-up themselves to the teacher regarding problems that the former experience that may affect their academic performance. Oftentimes, it is during the consultation period where a teacher finally understands with empathic compassion his student. It is also during this time that the teacher can guide the students to learn both classroom lessons and lessons in real life. A real mentor feels responsible for all his students; although the students may not realize it; the teacher can empathize with the struggles and difficulties of his students since he too was a student like them before becoming a teacher. Although the teacher may look aloof and strict—these too may have pedagogic purpose if it is taken with the intention towards the holistic development of the student. Even such calculated strictness on the part of the teacher must be understood as a kind of pruning so that the mental cultivation of the student may produce abundant fruits in due time. It can also be seen as a way of making the student realize that he needs to stand on his own two feet, to find his own self, and to listen to his own voice—and not just to rely solely on the perspectives of her teacher. A real mentor’s pedagogic intention in all his dealings with his student must be towards the latter’s integral and holistic maturity. While there may not be much monetary privileges that a teacher may accrue from all his sacrifices, yet there are myriads of inestimable returns-of-investment that he will receive throughout his lifetime, for example; an unexpected Valentine card from a former student of past years, an invitation to a former student’s wedding, a chance encounter of a former student who later became a priest due to an insight in his past existentialism class, or an award like this—“The Gawad Dekana Award for Outstanding Performance”. These and many examples show that pure altruistic concern will always beget genuine affection—although such signs of affections or recognition are not demanded nor longed for. For a true teacher, his reward comes from the unfathomable feeling of satisfaction that he experiences upon realizing that even in small ways, and despite his inconsequential self, the teacher was able to color his own world and that of others with meaning and significance. Herein lies the joy of the academician. This is the reason why I still persist in my being a teacher 22 years ago and up till now… To our dear Dean Liza Corro, and the whole UP Cebu Administration, to the Gawad Dekana Ad Hoc Committee, to the distinguished Board of Judges, to my colleagues in the Social Sciences Cluster, to my fellow faculty, reps and staff, I reiterate my sincere gratitude for this award. Good evening and thank you one and all. (*NOTE: This Acceptance Speech of Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu was delivered by him during the 4th Anniversary of UP Cebu Autonomy, AS Lobby on September 24, 2014. Part of his acceptance speech was taken from Prof. Henry Espiritu’s previous article “A Closer Look at the Life of an Academician” published by U.P. Cebu Tug-ani [student paper of UP Cebu]; September 2010 issue; pp.7-8.)
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:13:32 +0000
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