FEATURE:

Second Home, No More

by Marjorie M. Dela Rosa

“I can’t believe you can do this, as a student you should already know this!”
“Sus, kami nga dati mas mahirap pa pinagdaan namin”
“You should have done advance reading like *****”

Just like your favorite song on repeat, these lines are playing like a broken record. It is
understandable that these are intended to motivate and inspire us to do better in our
studies. However, is this really the only way to motivate and inspire students? Because
it definitely missed its goal. Now, it flows in the opposite direction with the sound
passing through the left ear and immediately out of the right ear.

True, there are actually students that understand the point behind the rather strong
phrases but it is also clear that not every student and teacher will get along. In fact,
there are several factors like age difference and experience that create the line between
them, where misunderstanding and conflict may grow.

Recently, a student dropped out due to immoderate academic stress from tons of
workload, duties, and toxic teachers. When asked about their experience and thoughts,
tears began dropping and exhaustion was visible. She shared, “Di ko na kinaya, I tried
to do my best kasi I know how hard my parents work for my tuition pero wala talag eh.
Ever since the first sem, burn out ako, I even lost 10 kgs in the most undesirable way I
wanted. Imagine joggling reviews for 4 quiz, deadlines for essays and projects, and
having duties twice a day. And on top of all that, i have a teacher telling me how horrible
my work is and how it is compared to others, even going as far as comparing my
situation back in her days to mine. If I stayed would definitely be in the mental hospital
by now.”

The work culture of educating and learning is rooted in the unabashed expectation of
toxic resilience, and the broken system that was used throughout the generations is
utterly dependent on it. If the student doesn’t meet the high bar of expectation, they will
be labeled lazy and dumb. This puts students at extreme risk of unnecessary stress,
burnout, and the idea to drop out.

So, see how the supposedly ‘second home’ of the student rather became a nightmare
that requires attendance. It doesn’t have to be like this. It doesn’t have to go through
this path. Change is still possible. Please let go of toxicity, and embrace the new ways
to deal with the current generation.