Economics and Facilitating, how one affects the other...

Don't worry, I wont be talking 'technical' here, I just want to vent out a few frustrations of how real life may be denying us some real good facilitators.

It starts this way... 'How many teachers do you know, happen to be rich and successful in life?'

Now before getting into a debate on 'it really depends on your definition of rich and successful...' let me clarify what I mean. 'How many teachers have you seen being really happy and comfortable with the lifestyle they are able to give their family?' (assuming of course that they do have a family to support). Not much, I'll bet. Why is this so?

Many people - those in the academe included, simply reason out that teaching is a calling - similar to being a priest... or pastor. I would agree with this statement on the grounds that it takes someone who can communicate with others, and be interested in helping others - maybe even show a key characteristic that is empathy. But teachers - and it seems, by analogy, facilitators have one setback that priests and pastors can use.

Teachers/Facilitators need to make a living. Of course they're salaried - or hired in a contractual engagement. Religious orders take care of their priests - and if there is a lack of such care, the followers help through their donations or tithes... tax free, I might add.

So... calling? I'd say that this is just an excuse to not add more to the spending capacity of said teaching or facilitating class.

Schools - st least, those that seriously adhere to keeping their teaching quality standards high, will raise the pay of their teachers... to the detriment of parents - who then grit their teeth because they know it will have better pay-offs for their children's future. But how many schools can actually have the right to practice this?

What about those schools that can't do so for a simple lack of quality to begin with?

The sad fact is, and this is more so in stagnantly 'developing' countries - yes, like the Philippines, many of our best teachers leave the profession because 'the calling' - as ideallic as it is, as important a mission as it can be... simply cannot make many of their lives a whole lot easier, better and more comfortable. many of these professionals do have the capacity for self-sacrifice. The problem is, such self-sacrifice must be reciprocated in some way to help them help their family. If a teacher cannot make ends meet... if he/she is worried about family needs, then focus on teaching on an everyday basis is lost, and this teacher decides to quit - because no one can eat 'the calling'.

Many even look at teaching as a place for 'those who can't perform in the business world - teach' sort of thing. Others treat facilitators similarly - that since teaching/facilitating/training is a cost-centric program, and not a profit-centric one, they should be relegated as second-class, second-tiered, second-importance (you choose the description) personnel in the organization... yes, even the more seemingly progressive multi-nationals still think this way.

It all boils down to the bottom-line, economics and one's contribution to the profit-margins. But if this keeps up... the profession will always lose its stars to better paying alternatives - not because they (the stars) want to leave - but because they need to. Love for the profession always has to come after love for family - specially one's children.

Sad... because of this, I know of at least two teachers deciding to migrate to other countries, and with them - their knowledge, skills and capabilities in helping our future generations get better. Others, have likewise decided to leave the profession for somethings better - financially that is... not exactly nobler.

In a society supposedly seeking to better itself, the very foundations for helping achieve this are getting lost in the build-up process. Many teachers are now either abroad and teaching children of other nations... or are no longer teachers... choosing to be domestic helpers or nurses/care-givers. As for facilitators? They may be an endangered species as well.

Not a healthy prospect, when planning long term.

Something needs to change. Should it be my career?