In praise of the Filipino public school teachers

1989. That was the year I graduated from Bicol University (www.bicol-u.edu.ph/)and as with other new graduates was faced with the daunting task of getting a job. Four years back, during my graduation from high school, I was wondering if I would be able to go through another four years of college considering that my family was financially not capable of supporting me through. Fortunately, Aquinas University (www.aq.edu.ph/) where I studied the first three years of my high school offered a chance by way of a good working student program. Anyway to cut the long story short I finished my education degree not at Aquinas University but at Bicol University (another story). With my diploma and an eligibility that comes with my graduating as Cum Laude, I started teaching as a volunteer teacher at the Villahermosa National High School in Villahermosa, Rapu-Rapu, the hometown of my mother. On hindsight now I can say that the time I spent at Villahermosa laid down the foundation of my resolve that teaching offers a reward in itself. From Rapu-Rapu I went back to Legaspi City and taught at the high school department of Aquinas University. That period also proved to be a blessing in that during my time at Aquinas University, we got a wonderful and very good principal (Mr. Tuason), equally wonderful teaching staffs and to top it all wonderful and hard working students. I was given for my home room class assignment the first batch of students in the night high school department, one of whom later became a co teacher of mine and what better reward of our efforts during that time in Aquinas than to hear her say that one of the persons who influenced her to persevere and take up education for a course is her former teacher of mathematics who goes by the name of Rafael Buemia.