Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Teacher.., bourgeoisie or proletariat?..., mass or elite?

Teachers are perceived to be bourgeoisie and elite opposite to the proletarians who are part of the struggling masses.

Terms and labels attached by different groups, claiming to be progressives and revolutionaries but the terms used borrowed from Karl Marx made their elitism obvious.

What common people know about mass or "masa" is a person who eats fishballs, smoked fish and salted eggs; rides jeepney;who can eat without silver wares; or simply take the descriptions of the boy-band e-Heads -all the persons with financial problems, corrupted by the system, illiterates, fans of Ms. Sharon Cuneta, I could say somehow that I am "masa" (Being a fan of Mrs. Cuneta-Pangilinan has nothing to do with KC Concepcion, it is just so happen that i am a fan). I never think of myself to be elite nor burgis but more of a mass and proletariat when i join the academe sector in 1997 as college instructor in St. Paul.

Even my teachers in elementary and high school, my first teacher, she is Ms. Santos, she could not tell what sector she belongs. But she was really good in Alphabet. Ms.Timonera who taught me home economics without the law of supply and demand, did not share her insights of ideal situation for teachers. Mr. Juan who was my mentor in high school algebra and football soccer, he did not tell me of his sector and what he is struggling for, if he had any.

Pangkoy, my Prof. in U.P. is down to earth, wearing faded jeans and shirt, with AIM MBA, he did not behave like a member of elite Boards. Long-haired Tikki is now a Prof, also in U.P. but we worked together as student leaders in 1993 but I am sure he would tell us that he is a proletariat and part of mass.

Generally, the teachers themselves do not know who they are, some may ask "are we mass or bourgeoisie?" "Proletariat or technocrats?" Is it because faculty unions are separated from non teaching personnel unions?

With these questions I could tell the teachers that like any other employees, "we are slaves."

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