#BeyondFourWalls Teachers inspired by teachers

MANILA, Philippines - There is always that one person in our lives who inspires us to reach our goals or to become the best of what we can be. It could well be our parents, our siblings, a leader we look up to, or a celebrity whose life we closely follow.

For a select few who chose to take the noble path of an educator – in a public school at that, it is no surprise that the inspiration came from no less than their own teachers who helped develop them into better persons and ushered them into a world of selfless giving.

Gab Kintanar

Educated in a private school from elementary to university, Gab Kintanar heavily relied on the inspiration his grade school teacher, Roda Estanislao, gave him in those fledgling years.

“Ma’am Roda was a kind teacher. She wanted us to be the kind of person who knows the value of responsibility without losing the value of love. She was the most vivid story I can remember, and I was really inspired by her,” he shared.

A Psychology graduate and a former student council president at the University of Santo Tomas, Gab surprised everyone with his decision to teach in a public school.

“I have been an education advocate ever since, engaged in programs to raise the importance of education in every community. But one day before graduation, I asked myself: Hanggang dito na lang ba ako may pakialam sa edukasyon? It was then that I decided to enter the public school system,” he said.

At first, he added, his reason for teaching was to fulfill his desires but as time went by, the reason became more selfless – he cared deeply about his students.

As a Grade 3 teacher in densely-populated Gen. Roxas Elementary School, Gab believes that change is incremental at best, and that it can only happen with the participation of the entire community.

With his two-year stint in public school education, Gab believes that leaving behind a legacy far outweighs the recognition he will reap for what he is doing. “Kahit hindi na nila ako maalala, ‘yung matandaan lang nila ‘yung mga bagay na itinuro ko, ayos na sa akin yun,” he said.

Janel Gatdula

Although already engrossed with reading at a very young age, Teacher Janel formed a tigher bond with words and worlds in her junior year in high school, thanks to her teacher, Mary Ann Cruz.

“My literature teacher made me fall in love more with reading, and it was a big inspiration to me. My mom wanted me to become a doctor. I even wanted to take a science-related course when I was in college, but because of her inspiration, I took up literature,” she shared.

That inspiration transcended her being a lit student in college as she later decided to become a teacher herself at Malanday Elementary School in Marikina.

“Thanks to Teach for the Philippines, I found an opportunity to educate young minds. I am just so happy to be able to share knowledge learned from my previous teacher and from my college education to these young children,” she said.

According to Janel, teaching English is one of the challenges she encounters every day, especially since it is not the children’s mother tongue or something they are comfortable speaking.

“It’s really hard to teach English, so you have to use a lot of entertaining strategies to grab their attention and for them to really learn. Happily, I guess my students are learning from those techniques,” she said.

For Janel, teachers are like “stones thrown in the water to create ripples”. “Maybe for now, the ripple is not that huge, but I believe that with continued effort, it will just grow and grow,” she said.

 Bernie Bongat

“I first saw the need for more teachers in public schools when I was in grade school, where one teacher teaches two grade levels,” Bernie said as he opened our conversation.

Growing up in the province, and having personally witnessed both the positive and negative sides of the public school system as a student, Bernie believes that going back and teaching for the Philippines is one way to repay.

”My inspiration to become a teacher was my drawing teacher in high school, Rico Almonte, who had a reputation for being strict. He was strict only because he wanted us to correct our own mistakes, and his strictness wasn’t to be taken negatively because it is correction that helps make us better persons,” he said.

Bernie admitted taking his teaching style after his drawing teacher whom he admired. He was also active in extracurricular activities, joining MathSaya, the school’s remedial program for slow learners.

He believes that the fate of the public school system and the future of the country ultimately rest with the students.

“Magsisimula ito sa aking mga mag-aaral. Kapag nakita niya ang aking kakayahan at mapaunlad niya ito, simula na ito ng pagbabago para sa bayan. Ang kanilang talent ang magpapabago sa bayan. Sila ang next generation ng leaders, mahuhusay na manggagawa sa iba’t ibang disiplina. Kaya papaunlarin ang aking mga mag-aaral para sa pagpapaunlad ng hinaharap,” he said.

It is never easy to look for inspiration from the things we see around us and from the many people we meet, but even more so to be inspired and to act on the inspiration as these teachers do out of a deep desire to make a difference for the country.

Gab, Janel, and Bernie are Teach for the Philippines (TFP) teacher-fellows in various Metro Manila schools who were once inspired by their own teachers and are now paying it forward.

To know more about TFP, visit teachforthephilippines.org.