Dr. Samuel Soliven - Hometown Teacher

Bayombong, the capital of Nueva Vizcaya about 250 kilometers north of Manila, boasts of wishing wells and picnic huts and a reputation as the "Luneta of the North" because of its tree-lined park and elegant landscape. People there live simple and unsophisticated lives and, for a boy growing up in Bayombong, the future would play out within the confines of the tiny mountainous barangay.

Dr. Samuel Soliven has carved his place as an upbeat high school teacher in his alma mater, Saint mary’s University in Bayombong. Clever, full of life, and blessed with a knack for cooking up math lessons that is oddly quite enjoyable for teenagers, he is having a great time at it.

"I am in this profession because I find it fulfilling and I enjoy sharing my life and abilities with the community especially the needy, my students, colleagues and my family," Soliven says with a smile.

Only 33, Soliven is an effective and efficient educator. His research articles on various academic topics are always well-received. His paper "Teaching Styles of a High School Physics Teacher" recently qualified for presentation in the Hawaii International Conference on Educ-ation in Honolulu. And last month, was named one of the outstanding teachers of 2003 by the Metrobank Foundation.

Behind his success is years of hard work and frequent disappoint-ments. It was a simple journey –but not an easy one.

"I came from a very poor family and I never even thought I’d become a teacher," he confesses. "I thought I’d be wandering the streets. It all seems so unbelievable that I’m here. And now that I am, I can’t see myself doing anything else. This is my niche, my calling and my mission."

He continues: "My family lived high up in the mountains and naturally we had very little money. And although you really didn’t need a lot (of money) to get by, you still had to have some to survive. I didn’t know any of this until I had to go to school."

When he was six years old, his mother died of leukemia. Suddenly Soliven and his brother had to take odd jobs just to be able to have a few pesos to spend for lunch. His father remarried and that led to additional difficulties and a tumultuous relationship with his stepmother.

"My stepmom didn’t want me to study at all. She would try to convince my father that I should be helping her earn a living. I didn’t want to give up school so I had to prove to her that I could juggle house chores and my studies at the same time," he says.

It was a very difficult routine. "Throughout my elementary days I had to get up at 4 a.m. and feed the farm animals because my father was always away looking for work. We were so strapped for cash that I had to walk barefooted to school. I just had a pair of faded shorts and a shirt–that was it. It was then that I would think about my real mother, if she was still alive and how she would have taken care of us a whole lot better."

Despite the hardship and the problems he was having at home, Soliven graduated valedictorian of his elementary class. He studied hard, of course, and it was at this time that he first fell in love with math and physics. Soliven claims he had a "very good teacher" (although he can’t remember the name) that made him enjoy computing volumes, areas and such. So much so that he even began to dream math.

Despite the academic honors, the idea of his continued education was not encouraged by his parents. In fact, his stepmother again pointed out that he should stop studying.

"I tried my best to help them. I would sell pan de sal at dawn so I wouldn’t have to ask my parents for a daily allowance and then I would walk the five kilometers to school through rivers and hills. It was very trying. And by the time I got to class, I was exhausted," he manages to laugh about it now.

Although he maintained good grades in his first year, Soliven got into big trouble when his parents failed to pay the full tuition. His adviser paid for it but withheld his academic card–then went abroad to work, inadvertently ruining the rest of his high school education. "Public education is almost free, just around 30 pesos," he reveals. "But my folks still did not have enough. I did not have my credentials with me so I couldn’t enroll as a second year student."

"I was a freshman for three years because of that, and it was pretty hard to pretend that you were in the same batch as your friends. My parents thought I was already nearing graduation because if I told them what was really going on there would be hell to pay."

It was only when he took and passed a Philippine Education Placement Test that he was allowed to skip several levels and become a senior. A then relieved and thankful Soliven displayed brilliance and thoughtfulness in his last year in high school. At graduation, he asked his stepmother to accompany him to the stage. He got ready for college and this time, he made sure there wouldn’t be any mishaps.

Since his folks had very little to do with his finances in school, he took a job as a part time librarian at Saint Mary’s University. He was a working scholar there and that meant he had to spend several hours a day at the school library. It turned out to be a blessing, and his whole life changed after that.

"I had access to all these books and I could read them anytime I wanted," he relates. "I also had a lot of support from the whole school in general during my years as a college student. Many felt I was very determined. And I didn’t disappoint. My grades were, let’s face it, very nice, and I felt a sense of freedom there. It was the start of something big for me."

St. Mary’s noticed his unusual aptitude in physics and math and found him a part-time teaching job at a nearby school. He became an instructor even before finishing college. And when graduation day was already close by, his stepmother, who had been against his schooling from the start, passed away.

Despite the tumultuous relationship with her, Soliven held no grudge. He even took care of his half-sister (his stepmom’s daughter) and sent her to school after St. Mary’s hired him as a fulltime high school teacher in June 1992.

"I did not retaliate. Even if my stepmom was mean to me, I did not take it out on my half-sister. In fact, I made sure she was being given a proper education and an allowance. At the funeral, I whispered to my stepmom I can promise her one thing. And that is I will take good care of my half-sister. That was closure for me," Soliven smiles.

He did not mean closure on his academic life, of course, because shortly thereafter he was given a chance to further his studies at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. St. Mary’s Father John Van Bowel, who had long been a believer of Soliven’s gifts, helped him secure a spot at the prestigious university.

"I was already 24 when I first got to Manila. I enrolled at the College of Science in UP, and I felt I wouldn’t be able to cope at first because the lessons were already very advanced. It’s a good thing I had some friends who helped me study. It took me four years to finish my MAed in Physics in October 1998. I then went back to smu to get my doctorate and to continue teaching," he proudly says. "I’m still very lucky despite it all. And I am thankful to God and St. Mary’s. My alma mater has won my heart and I will be forever grateful to them. That is why I will turn down any offer here or abroad. I will never leave St. Mary’s. It’s my home."

Soliven has been described as "a man of integrity and reputable character who is committed to the multi-dimensional work of a teacher", someone who "has raised the level of academic excellence and competence" in his school.

He has written two textbooks, Science Research and Statistics and Worktext in HS Geometry and has produced a number of instruc-tional materials. His articles have been published in the Journal of Education and he has actively participated in community outreach activities such as the Columbian Squires and Knights of Columbus. He has also worked as a radio host on School-On-The-Air DWRV.

"For the last eleven years, I’ve really enjoyed being with the young ones, educating them and all. I am still so full of idealism and I always keep my sight on troubled teens because my life has been my best visual material to students," he reveals.

Dr. Soliven has indeed come a long, long way–without moving a mile from where he was born. His townmates and provincemates are blessed to have him among them.

"Life is a metamorphosis and tempered with a missionary spirit," he imparts. "Study to learn and play to learn, but most importantly, pray to earn God’s unlimited graces and blessings."