For The Child Who Dreamed Through “Teacher-Teacheran”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer has often been simple yet profound for many children: to be a teacher.

We once found joy in games that painted our afternoons with sunburnt cheeks and carefree laughter, yet among them was one that sparked more than play and nurtured ardent ambition. In “Teacher-teacheran,” as many children fondly call it, was a childhood dream dressed as a classroom setting. A child stood in front with a notebook, scribbling on walls or thin air, while friends filled the seats of makeshift desks, happily bribed with biscuits to stay. Old doors then became blackboards, mock quizzes tested acting students, and in that small world, a child’s chalk was a sword, and every pretend recitation was a glimpse of the future we once believed in.

It was a simple game, but one that etched the outline of a dream.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿

That very line of “Ako si teacher, kayo ang students ko,” a seed was planted. Little did we know, this pretend-play was more than mimicry and was a starting rehearsal for leadership, patience, and the courage to stand and to share what one knows. In those moments when they continue despite the struggle to quiet down rowdy playmates or explain a math problem on a scratch paper as if it were a real lesson, that is when the virtues of teaching quietly took its niche.

For some, the role stuck like a second skin. They bring it beyond the streets and into their hearts, treating it not just as a play, but as a calling. “Teacher-teacheran” became the drawn-out blueprint of aspirants who would one day lead classrooms, build futures, and mold minds.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗲𝗿

Yet, beyond the dream lies the real game. As evidently seen, pursuing teaching in the Philippines is a strenuous journey. From underfunded schools where cracked ceilings compete with blackboards, to overflowing classrooms where one’s voice struggles to reach sixty eager ears, and salaries that hardly match the labor poured into both lesson plans and paperwork. Teachers bear burdens heavier than the chalk dust on their fingers.

Still, they endure. They carry the bulk of deadlines, modules, and endless forms home with them, trading hours of rest for hours of preparation. Despite the hardships, teachers rise each day and show up no matter what. For them, every weary step blooms into the joy of a child learning and a future, taking its root. And so, while today’s realities may test your spirit, they also prove the depth of your calling.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

It may not be clear yet, but the future is bright because you are the future.

Imagine a tomorrow where those once-pretend classrooms turn real, where your former students who once struggled with ABCs now sign prescriptions as a doctor, draft blueprints as an engineer, pen stories as a writer, or even lead the nation with wisdom and heart. Beyond being educators, you are visionaries who carry the prophecy of tomorrow.

Every amount of effort in your classroom will ripple out into society, steering not just your students, but the very soul of our nation.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱

In the grinding noise of papers, grades, and bills, may you not forget that child you once were—the one who lit up while standing before imaginary students, not because it was simply an act, but because deep down, there was a fire to share what you had.

That child still lives in you. That child reminds you that teaching is not just a profession — it is an ambition carried from childhood, a gift passed on by fate, and a legacy written on the hearts of others.

So, to the teacher, the dreamer, the pursuer, and the child: hold on to the spirit of “teacher-teacheran.” It was never just a game. It was the imprint of a vision that continues to live in every classroom because you once defied to teach.

For the child who dreamed through “teacher-teacheran”—this is for you. It has always been within you.