Showing posts with label teacher. Show all posts

The Unsung Heroism of Teachers

By Apolinario Villalobos

Teachers become the second parents of children as they step inside the school campus. I do not want to dwell on their wage as everybody knows that despite the adjustment, still, it is not commensurate to their effort and time spent in school. Weekends sometimes see them in school sprucing up their rooms to make them conducive for the learning of their young wards. If they are lucky, they get support by way of budgeted “allowance” from their superiors for the aforementioned expense which oftentimes is not enough so that they are forced to shell out their scrimped savings.

I know of teachers who are supporting in their own affordable way, pupils who go to school without breakfast. They include these unfortunates in their packed lunch or sandwiches. Those assigned in far-off or remote schools, with some beyond several hills and swift rivers, had to spend for the fuel of their “single motorcycles”. Some viewers of my blogs are teachers and they told me that they are also spending for their own teaching materials…actually, a traditional practice that include even the purchase of floor wax, brooms and dust pans.

They may have been able to collect simple jewelries…hard-earned investments, but according to my teacher-friends, it took them several years to complete the payment made on installment basis. On school days, they have to wake up at dawn to prepare breakfast for their family, leave home for school before 6 or 7AM, stay in school till 5:00PM or beyond, tackle the flood during rainy months on the way home, immediately attend to their family upon arriving home, and work on their modules till late in the evening for the next day. Due to bad traffic, many would arrive home as late as 9:00PM.

Many teachers become spinsters and bachelors because of their dedication to their job. Some say, they have no time for the “loving-loving”. Worse, many also develop TB due to unhealthy condition in their workplace. The consolation that they get from their job, especially, if they are handling kids is the loyalty and devotion from them. These brought about common statements from their pupils, “….sabi ni Ma’am…”. “…ayaw ni Ma’am niyan…”. etc.

I remember my teachers in Tacurong Pilot Elementary School, such as, Mrs. Paradero, Mrs. Sucaldito, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Barber, Ms. Davala, Mrs. Amar, Mr. Palencia, Mrs. Ramos, Mrs. Domider. In NDTC Boys Department such as, Mr. Elmer Festin, Mr. Jamorabon, Ms. Uy, Mr. Cabiles, Ms. Hojilla, Ms. Palabrica, Mr. Gabertan. In NDTC college department, such as, Mrs. Lechonsito, Mr. Canzana, Ret. Judge Jacosalem Makilala…..and many more. (I hope viewing schoolmates and classmates can help me out recall names….please add.)

Alas! Without “Ma’am” and “Sir”, where would I be? 

Ang Panahon ng Graduation

Sa Pilipinas…at pagkalipas nito

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ilang buwan na lamang ay magkakaroon na naman ng mga sunud-sunod na graduation – grade school at kolehiyo…ang 4-year high school ay inabot ng kamalasan dahil sa K-12 program. Sa panahong ito, parang sirang plaka na naman ang DECS at CHED sa pagpapaalala sa mga eskwelahan na iwasan ang magastos na graduation. Kasama sa paalala ang pagdaos na lang ng seremonyas sa kanilang sariling auditorium o gym, at kung maiiwasan ang pagpapasuot ng toga ay mas maganda.

Subalit, tulad ng inaasahan, walang nasusunod sa mga paalala, at upang hindi mapahiya ang dalawang ahensiya, sasabihin uli nila ng kung ilang libong beses na, na wala silang “police power” upang magparusa sa mga hindi susunod. Ganyan katindi ang palpak na sistema ng edukasyon sa Pilipinas! Ang nagpatindi pa sa kapalpakang ito ay ang ugali ng mga mayayabang na magulang na kahit walang pera ay pilit mangungutang upang  maibili ang mga anak ng bagong sapatos at damit. Pagkatapos ng seremonyas sa Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) o mamahaling hotel at halos walang katapusang kodakan, lalagapak sila sa katotohanang wala pala silang hapunan pag-uwi ng bahay!

Pagkatapos ng graduation, masuwerte ang mga dati nang may trabaho bilang crew ng mga fastfood chains dahil sigurado na silang may kikitain habang naghihintay ng mas magandang pagkakataon. Ang mga mapoporma naman na kinunsinte ng mga magulang sa pag-akalang mayaman sila, ay naghihintay ng managerial position dahil “management course” kuno ang tinapos nila at sa prestigious pang university kuno!...aba’y kung di ba naman mga gunggong… akala nila dahil may diploma ng “management course” na sila ay ganoon kadaling makakuha ng trabaho!

Yong ibang matatalino kuno dahil sa matataas na gradong nakuha, tamimi naman pala o mahiyain kaya halos magkanda-ihi pagharap sa mag-iinterbyu. Yong ibang sobrang bilib sa sarili kaya walang pakialam sa trapik na susuungin sa paghanap ng maaaplayang trabaho, gigising ng eksakto 7AM para sa interview na 8AM…marami akong kilalang ganyan ang ugali, kaya halos dalawang taon na ay wala pa ring trabaho…dahil hindi lang mayabang kundi tanga pa! Sa libu-libong applicants na dumadagsa sa mga job sites, hindi ulol ang mga interviewer upang hintayin ang mga tangang walang pakialam sa oras.

Yan ang masaklap na katotohan tuwing panahon ng graduation at pagkalipas nito….paulit-ulit dahil walang gustong matuto ng leksiyon, kaya hindi dapat isisi sa gobyerno lang ang paghihirap ng ibang Pilipino kundi pati na rin sa kanila dahil sa kanilang  kayabangan at katangahan.

MAY ISANG MANDARAYA

….TEACHER PA!

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ano pa nga ba at sa panahon ngayon

May mga pandarayang nangyayari

Sa lahat na halos ng pagkakataon;

Malakas ang loob ng mga gumagawa

Mukha’y makapal at matatapang pa

Pati ang konsiyensiya’y di alintana.

Paano kaya kung teacher ang gagawa?

Katulad ng nangyari sa isang bayan

Na maunlad, tahimik at mapayapa;

Nagpatimpalak, ginanap upang matuwa

Mga estudyante sa isang eskwelahan

At ang mga hurado ay mga maestra.

Nguni’t ng masaklap ay nakalusot pala

Ang isang hurado ng contest na ito

Dahil ang isang kasali ay nephew niya!

Itong teacher itinuloy pa ang  paghusga

Ganoong pinag-uusapan na ang isyu

Na kapalmuks siya at walang hiya talaga!

Dahil sa pangyayari, ano pang tiwala

Ang maipapakita sa mga teacher natin

Na dapat sana ay pagmamalasakitan?

Paano pa silang sundin ng mga kabataan

Kung katarantaduha’y ipinapakita nila

Kaya’t sila’y nililibak, sa halip na tularan?

ANG RESULTA….NANALO ANG PAMANGKIN NIYA!

In commemoration of the World Teachers’ Day/ October 6… (a reblog)

Ms. Necessity…My Best Teacher, Ever!

by Apolinario Villalobos

Each of us has one teacher in our lifetime that stands out. While others consider their Math teacher as the best, some consider their English teacher as one. Mine, is Ms. Necessity…my best teacher…ever!

Born without the proverbial silver spoon in my mouth since childhood, struggle has become synonymous with my life…but Ms. Necessity was always just a few feet ahead of me to show the way. For my thirst for knowledge at an early age, Ms. Necessity made me collect old newspapers that lined the inside of boxes of dried fishes that my parents sold in the market. For doing so, I earned not only bouts of pinches from my elder sister but ear- twitching, as well, because the bundles of papers that I brought home made them pinch their nose. I had to keep them under a bed and would bring them out when I was alone to admire the big letters that I would copy on our dusty yard. Every space of our yard would be filled with words copied from newspapers that smelled of dried fish…and so was I, too, at the end of the day.

When I finally entered a school room as a “visitor” (equivalent of the prep today), Ms. Necessity told me to use discarded plastic bags found in a dump beside a bakery near our home for my “school bag”, so I went there and gathered as many sturdy bags as I could find. I got me plenty of “school bags”, some of which I kept as spare. Our parents could not afford to buy us real school bags which during the time were considered as novelties that only the rich in our town could afford. Ms. Necessity also told me to make my own raincoat out of the discarded plastic bags. Not only was I able to make one for me, but also another one for an elder brother.

For school allowance, Ms. Necessity told me to sell ripe fruits of our star apple in the market on Saturdays and Sundays. Ms. Necessity also told me to ask our neighbor for their fallen ripe tamarind fruits so that I could sell them in school. Due to the abundance of bulgur wheat and oatmeal doled out by American missionaries in our school that I and my brothers brought home, Ms. Necessity told us to persevere on them for breakfast and lunch rather than go to school with empty stomach. Some months, the school was also given yellow corn meal that the Home Economics teacher cooked and given to the children during recess period. Ms. Necessity told me to fashion a cup out of pad paper to hold the gruel cooked into thick and sticky consistency that I slurped down without the use of spoon as I had none. The rest of the pupils brought cup or saucer and spoon. Those were my colorful elementary days, with Ms. Necessity beside me.

Later in life, after overcoming the pains of loss of loved ones and consistent wants, Ms. Necessity told me to persist and just go ahead in following my dreams which I did. She made me accept things as they were without any regret or complaint. Ms. Necessity told me that despite the vastness of life, it was brimming with opportunities for those who were not finicky and could be grabbed by dint of hard work. Many times did she remind me about it…that I proved to be just true.

What is nice about Ms. Necessity is that she never leaves me until now. I thank God, for giving me such a great teacher as Ms. Necessity!

Ms. Bernardita S. Paclibar and Ms. Nenita P. Bernardo

…my beloved cousins, my strict teachers

By Apolinario Villalobos

Looking back to the days when I was young, I fondly recall my cousins who have been part of my growing up. One was “Ms. Paclibar”, a cousin who was also my teacher in Grade Three, and who was known for her strictness. She was fair, as inside the classroom, I was treated as just one of her pupils. I also experienced spanking and ear-pinching. But every time I visited my “lola” Sayong, their mother, she would offer me fruits from their yard, especially, ripe guavas. If none has been picked on that day, she would tell her younger sister, Heidi (but I fondly called “Lily) to pick some for me.

She chose to stay single till the day she died, as were most of the teachers of the past years. It was a most appropriate decision because when their parents were ageing, she contributed a lot in caring for them. When I was in college, I recalled her hair to have changed color from brownish black into cloudy white, but fitted her mestiza features. That was also the time that she began calling me by my nickname, while I called her “nang Deting”,  as when I was in elementary she would call me in school by my family name. I failed to attend her wake and funeral as I was out of the country when the news of her demise reached me.

In college, a cousin was also one of my teachers, “Ms. Bernardo”. She handled our science subjects. A University of the Philippines graduate (BS Pharmacy), she was supposed to be a pharmacist by profession. But after a short stint in such field, she chose to stay put in our town and teach in the only Catholic school, the Notre Dame. Practically, she was among the pioneers of the school together with the Canzanas, Jamorabons, Romeros, Josefina Lechonsito, and, Mr. Nicolo who later became principal of the Tacurong Pilot School.

As a science teacher she was in-charge of the school “laboratory” with its donated few microscopes, few boxes of thin crystal slides, preserved insect specimen in jars of formalin, and science reference books. It was in that sparsely –furnished room where I saw my first amoeba and other flagellates, cross section of leaves and stems, and microbes in a drop of water from a canal. What took root in my memory was her admonishment of the whole class for the failure of one or two classmates , with a clear reminder that no one can help us but ourselves in order to have passing grades. Being a perfectionist, she expected all of us to pass, and eventually, graduate. We shared the same idea that the school and books can help but intellect is innate in all of us, hence, we become what we are by our own doing...which made me proud of her and our parochial school with its sparsely furnished library.

She exuded sophistication in her tailored dresses, mostly cotton, as she gracefully walked her way from their house to the school and her being slender helped a lot in radiating such image. Her seemingly eternally coiffed hair also added to her classiness.

Their father was our clan’s “Tata” who contributed a lot in making our town what it is today, a flourishing city, as he was a long-termer Vice-Mayor. When he finally succumbed to complications which forced him to stay home, my cousin and teacher whom we fondly call “nene Nita” stayed by his side, until a full-time caregiver was hired.

Today, at an advanced age of almost eighty, “nene Nita” lives at their ancestral house with her youngest sister, Judith, while the younger brother, Nonito, lives not far from them.

Both the Paclibars and Bernardos are among the pioneer families of Tacurong City. But, to my two strict teachers…and beloved cousins, my recognition is more than their being members of the prominent pioneer families of our place. They are among those to whom I owe much of what I am today.

Happy World Teachers’ Month!

Ang Guro Nating Mahal

By Apolinario B Villalobos

Sa pagsibol ng ating kaisipan

Mula nang tumapak tayo sa unang baytang

Silang sa silid-aralan, ating nadatnan -

Itinuring na nating pangalawang magulang.

Mayroong animo’y santo sa kabaitan

Mayroon ding parang tigre sa katapangan

Mayroong malayo pa lang ika’y ngingitian

Mayroon ding nakakakilabot sa katarayan.

Sa mga mag-aaral na matigas ang ulo

Guro ang panakot sa mga pasaway na ito

Sila’y isusumbong kapag nagpatamad-tamad

Kaya susunod, dahil mataas na grade ang hangad.

Kung hindi sa guro nating mahal

Wala tayong presidente, senador, kongresman

Wala tayong doktor, enhinyero, pulis, sundalo

Wala tayong pari, madre, at iba pa, lalo na guro.

Sila ang naghuhubog ng ating kaisipan

Upang maging may pakinabang na mamamayan

Sila ang inspirasyon, tinitingala nating bantayog

Sila na ang buhay, sa mga kabataan  ay umiinog.

Inaabot ng hatinggabi sa paghanda ng leksyon

Madaling araw gigising, sa almusal walang panahon

Halos takbuhin ang paaralan, sa kwarto’y dapat mauna

Upang sa mga mag-aaral sila’y maging halimbawa.

Sa mga liblib na paaralan may mga kuwento

Nakakadurog ng puso kung malaman ninyo

Mga kuwento ng mga gurong nagsasakripisyo

Mairaos lamang nila,  mga araw ng pagtuturo.

Mayroong binabawas sa kakarampot na suweldo

Pambili ng chalk, papel, lapis, at kuwaderno

Kagalakan nilang makita, saya sa mukha ng bata

Sa pagkakaroon ng gamit, di mabili dahil dukha.

Sila ang ating mga mahal na guro

Karapat-dapat mahalin, bigyan ng respeto

Kulang ang salitang “bayani” na sa kanila’y ituring

Sa sakripisyo, kahi’t kanino hindi sila maihahambing!

Ms. Necessity…My Best Teacher, Ever!

by Apolinario Villalobos

Each of us has one teacher in our lifetime that stands out. While others consider their Math teacher as the best, some consider their English teacher as one. Mine, is Ms. Necessity…my best teacher…ever!

Born without the proverbial silver spoon in my mouth since childhood, struggle has become synonymous with my life…but Ms. Necessity was always just a few feet ahead of me to show the way. For my thirst for knowledge at an early age, Ms. Necessity made me collect old newspapers that lined the inside of boxes of dried fishes that my parents sold in the market. For doing so, I earned not only bouts of pinches from my elder sister but ear- twitching, as well, because the bundles of papers that I brought home made them pinch their nose. I had to keep them under a bed and would bring them out when I was alone to admire the big letters that I would copy on our dusty yard. Every space of our yard would be filled with words copied from newspapers that smelled of dried fish…and so was I, too, at the end of the day.

When I finally entered a school room as a “visitor” (equivalent of the prep today), Ms. Necessity told me to use discarded plastic bags found in a dump beside a bakery near our home for my “school bag”, so I went there and gathered as many sturdy bags as I could find. I got me plenty of “school bags”, some of which I kept as spare. Our parents could not afford to buy us real school bags which during the time were considered as novelties that only the rich in our town could afford. Ms. Necessity also told me to make my own raincoat out of the discarded plastic bags. Not only was I able to make one for me, but also another one for an elder brother.

For school allowance, Ms. Necessity told me to sell ripe fruits of our star apple in the market on Saturdays and Sundays. Ms. Necessity also told me to ask our neighbor for their fallen ripe tamarind fruits so that I could sell them in school. Due to the abundance of bulgur wheat and oatmeal doled out by American missionaries in our school that I and my brothers brought home, Ms. Necessity told us to persevere on them for breakfast and lunch rather than go to school with empty stomach. Some months, the school was also given yellow corn meal that the Home Economics teacher cooked and given to the children during recess period. Ms. Necessity told me to fashion a cup out of pad paper to hold the gruel cooked into thick and sticky consistency that I slurped down without the use of spoon as I had none. The rest of the pupils brought cup or saucer and spoon. Those were my colorful elementary days, with Ms. Necessity beside me.

Later in life, after overcoming the pains of loss of loved ones and consistent wants, Ms. Necessity told me to persist and just go ahead in following my dreams which I did. She made me accept things as they were without any regret or complaint. Ms. Necessity told me that despite the vastness of life, it was brimming with opportunities for those who were not finicky and could be grabbed by dint of hard work. Many times did she remind me about it…that I proved to be just true.

What is nice about Ms. Necessity is that she never leaves me until now. I thank God, for giving me such a great teacher as Ms. Necessity!