In the school where I work in, teachers who handle a class are not called advisers. They’re given a special designation – TIC, which is an acronym for Teacher-In-Charge.

For the past 4 years, not including last year, I’ve been one – a TIC. And in my four years of being a TIC (which is actually short compared to most of my co-teachers’ stint which on the average is around 8-11 years), I’ve come to realize a few things about the banes of being one. (The perks I’ll probably be writing about some other day.) Here are three of them.

1. Being a TIC doesn’t just require the teacher to be more responsible. It also entails you to become more creative. This is because you’re not just in charge of your students. You’re also in charge of the classroom. It falls on the TIC’s shoulder to come up with cardboard displays, letter cutouts, quotations, and all other necessary materials to make the classroom adequately more conducive than just a regular room.
2. A TIC, at least in my opinion, needs to have a high EQ. Dealing with students on a personal level requires more effort than teaching. It requires a great deal more of patience, understanding and the ability to balance reason and sentiments. Being too objective may mean becoming too distant. Being too attached, may lead to over familiarization.  It’s a tricky balance that varies in effectiveness from one class to another and from one student to the next.
3. Meticulous. The best description that comes to mind is responsibility on steroids. Since the job entails regular checking of attendance, making monthly reports, appointments, and loads and loads of extra paper work, a TIC should (or perhaps MUST is a better term) be meticulous.

Do I have any of these three? I don’t know. All I know is I’m working on it. Hopefully, if not this year, I’ll be able to acquire these traits in a few more years. That is if I’m still a TIC by then. Hehehe!