By: Ma’am Mares Codog
A Teacher’s Perspective
Happiness = reality ÷ expectation . This is the simplest formula for happiness.
Our reality is divided by the expectations we have. This shows the relationship of happiness to the events in our life and the expectations that our brain creates. The greater the acceptance of reality, the greater the happiness we generate and the lesser expectation we have, the greater happiness we get. Happiness is something we get from the events that we’re in.
Sonja Lyubomirsky, the author of “The How of Happiness” describes happiness as “the experience of joy, contentment, positive well being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful and worthwhile.” This, I guess, perfectly describes the vocation as a teacher— the joy of imparting knowledge and unfolding hidden characters of students.
Seeing students improve little by little would bring such great satisfaction for us teachers. Those sleepless nights, the books that serve as our pillows at night, the everlasting patience and the incomprehensible understanding that we give—-atlast, they are paid off. The simple “aha” “wow” and “now we know” motivate us teacher to not give up on students and even push us to explore more world to impart them to our young learners.
Yes, happiness is something we get from the events that we’re in. And for teachers, this event is the time we step into that lecture hall.
With this, being a teacher is equivalent to being happy but teaching also involves looking ahead of everything which leads to expectation especially assumptions toward students who sometimes snatch the happiness in us.
Whatever it takes though, there is still so much to look forward to. Ma’ams and sirs, let us never get tired of creating those events for our students as we explore happiness with them.
After all, there is no losing in trying, only learning.