Teachers who matter

National Teacher’s Day comes and goes and I have never paid attention to it—until this year. A month ago I was surprised when all my students stood up as I entered the classroom and shouted a greeting that sounded like “Happy Birthday!” I thought some practical joker had given them the wrong date, but then someone who was not even enrolled in my class, a student interested in history who would sit in my lectures, walked straight up from the back, handed me a present, and said, “On behalf of everyone, Happy Teachers’ Day!” Now that definitely warmed my jaded heart.

It seems this was not an isolated or random incident because a beautiful coteacher (a former teaching assistant who changed my life by throwing away my slides and introducing me to PowerPoint) was taken aback on the last lecture day when the class presented her with a sash and a tiara. She was made to wear these the whole period and thus fulfilled her lifelong dream to be a royal princess or a beauty queen. I hope this doesn’t just happen to us, because all teachers should be thanked for the work they put into nation-building. Teachers, especially in the grade-school level, mold the future, and it is unfortunate that many are underpaid, unsung heroes. Fortunately, we have the Metrobank and Bato Balani Foundations that recognize and thank teachers for simply being good teachers.

Two weeks ago another random act of kindness came my way to warm my jaded heart. I finished a tasty Italian lunch and asked for the bill. The waiter returned to say my bill had been settled. He pointed to a man at the other end of the restaurant eating alone, and I asked, Are you sure he paid for my bill? I don’t know him.

When the waiter came back he confirmed my freebie, so I rose, approached the stranger and thanked him. The man introduced himself as the father of two of my former students; he said the free lunch was his way of thanking me for being part of forming them into the wonderful people they are now. I left the restaurant in a daze because I’m not an easy teacher. As a matter of fact, I’m infamous at the Ateneo for my mind-boggling tests and my policy of canceling the highest grade instead of the lowest to make life more challenging.

Many years ago I received a check from the Hellenica Foundation that was for a professorial chair for which I was not eligible. I called up the signatory, Ed Fajardo, to thank him and return the check but he insisted that I accept it. So I asked: What output was expected of me, do I deliver a lecture or publish something? He replied: “I have asked around and found out that your class is one of the most sought after on campus. What is expected of you? I want you to give your students the best history class they can get.”

Little surprises like these make all the trouble of teaching worth it.

My real reward (aside from free lunches, professorial chairs, and the appreciative applause and picture-taking requests I get at the end of the term) is watching my former students go up the stage to receive their degrees. I take the trouble to attend graduation ceremonies even if it means enduring the heat and long speeches and wearing an academic gown because nothing can be more gratifying than seeing the students commence real life outside the university walls. I’m not normally sentimental, but National Teachers’ Day this year has been special for me.

Last week I met a new batch of students at Sophia University in Tokyo for the first time and was surprised at the size of the classes. There were not enough chairs in the room for everyone. When I asked why they took a course on the Philippines, some said they wanted to know more about a country they plan to visit someday. Others said they have Filipino friends whose home country and culture they wanted to know more about. A handful said their friends had recommended that they take my class.

In another class I asked a former student from the Department of Russian Studies why he was taking a second elective on the Philippines. What do you need it for? I said. He replied: “I liked your class last term and decided to take another.” That made my day.

When I talk to fellow teachers or those who want to make a career in education, I tell them that lecturing is easy for me because I know my subject matter inside out. The real work is done at home alone—hours marking papers, computing grades, reading up, and preparing for class. Despite this load most teachers are a happy lot, and I think the sunny disposition comes from constant contact with young people. The visible reward on a teacher is youthfulness.

This year I looked back on all my memorable teachers, even the bad ones who taught me how not to teach. In the impressive roster of Metrobank’s outstanding teachers, I saw five people who made me a better person and a better teacher: Julia de la Cruz (taught me high school math and how to think logically), Esperanza Chee Kee (taught me high school English and how to enjoy walking in the rain), Marcelino Foronda (taught me to appreciate history through rare books), Emerita Quito (taught me the philosophy of history and how to see beyond the obvious), and Doreen G. Fernandez (taught me college freshman English that resulted in a lifelong love for research, writing and teaching).

If you haven’t done so, go out of your way to thank a teacher today. Teachers help make the world a better place.

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