“To teach is to change life forever;” I consider this a mantra at the start of every school year. The quote speaks to those students waiting to be filled with the knowledge and skills to survive the rest of their lives.

However, it’s cliché to consider a teacher as one who “changed the life” of a student.

My good friend, Fr. Ramon Claro Mendez, uses the term “curator” instead of teacher. The word comes from the Latin word “cura,” which means to take care of. Traditionally, a curator manages cultural heritage institutions like a library, museum, or archive; but, according to Mendez, a curator is a “content specialist” in charge of an institution’s collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage materials, which contributed a lot to civilization.

Teachers as curators

Two weeks prior to the opening of the school year, teachers returned to school to learn new teaching pedagogy approaches and worked on other aspects that need improvement. This process is called in-service training (Inset). After gathering such information, teacher then clean their classrooms in a tradition known as “brigada.”

Similarly, a curator’s work defines a teacher’s duty with the former gathering information on certain subjects in order to build “real knowledge” and impart that onto audiences; while teachers learn different strategies and understand student backgrounds in order to teach more effectively.

With regard to brigada, it makes the classroom more conducive for learning; whereas tourists learn more about historical artifacts in a setting, such as a museum, that is conducive for visitors. In the same way a museum’s surroundings are well-maintained, teachers prepare their classrooms in order for their students to enjoy and grow.

A well-maintained classroom reflects a teacher’s personality and eagerness to inspire.

Curating a student’s future

Today’s teachers are at the cusp of being replaced by media. Students grow bored of class discussions and, instead, use YouTube to learn about a certain subject or google to find the answers to questions. We cannot get away from technology, nor can we disregard it, it is a part of everyday life.

Technology, however, cannot provide values. As curators, teachers guide students on how to use technology to their advantage and using it as a study aide. It also provides students with confidence to seek further knowledge; although, there is also a lot of “fake news” out there and teachers are responsible for ensuring their students know how to scrutinize the information they are absorbing.

Teachers need to facilitate critical thinking, which controls the quality of information and creates a sense of context with the facts gathered.

Both teacher and student alike benefit from being more connected as it allows learning to be more flexible, along with providing room for collaboration.

Cura personalis

Being a curator gives one a sense of connecting with people through the introduction of artistic works, telling stories, and discussing the value of certain items. For teachers, it goes beyond that, as the connections they build not only impact the lives of students, but also their respective families, by motivating students to excel and guiding them on the right path.

“Cura personalis,” or care for an individual, is where teachers establish personal relationships.

People always disregard the teaching profession because it does not lead to a life of extravagance. Teachers are often belittled, called a “second class profession” and suited for those unable to attend business or medical school. Just like the curators of the medieval period, who kept records of civilization safe, a teacher curates both knowledge and souls – souls of those who joined them on the journey of continued learning.

The noblest profession is one that instills “cura” onto students, teachers as curators exemplify “the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in.”/WDJ