A permanent teaching position is every teacher applicant's dream. I had my chance of getting one this year. Being a top ranker in our District, getting an item is expected to be easy. Based on the Localization Law, a teacher should be deployed to a school near his/her residence. Since the school I applied to doesn't have an item, neighboring town contacted me. It was a blissful event. I even screamed when I got called. So I rushed to Roxas National High School to learn about the position. And that's where I met Teacher X. That will be me.

What is a Teacher X? As I understood from the principal, Teacher X is a teacher on cue to take a teaching item as soon as it's vacated. Vacancy can be a natural vacancy (vacancy because the school needed an additional teacher) or someone retired. Will Teacher X receive a compensation while in service? It purely depends on arrangement with the school. What's clear is Teacher X will receive a compensation when his/her status is changed from Teacher I or better. 

I consulted few key people about their say. Most of them said, I should go. It could just be a test of dedication.  But my heart.. 

My heart sunk when the compensation part was discussed. I understood that newly-hired DepED teachers will receive their first salary that after 5 months or so. Teacher X salary timeline is unclear. My head can not process the fact that I am taking risk of serving students without compensation. Dedication is there but my family depends on me. The choice was between something-I-wanted to do and something-I-have-to-do.The weekend after the discussion was restless. I have been making a mental list of things of pros and cons. Monday came and a choice needs to be made. Something-I-have-to-do won. I need to feed my family. It's a short-term goal but a very important one. I am not belittling what DepEd offers to the teaching force. Compensation and other perks is actually great. Not to mention the retirement package. 

People who had heard about my choice have shared their dismay. "It could have been my chance', they say. It's one of the hardest decision I have made. Putting a dream to rest for a season. Yes, I will go back to square one when hiring seasons open. But my consolation is that, I have peace when I made my choice. My family will be provided for. I received a promise of compensation raise and have received some few other offers. It was indeed a time of faith-stretching. For now, I will make most of my "free" time to be productive and to make a better version of myself. So that when my time comes, I will be more effective. And will have more to offer. 

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P.S. A