“I have always loved numbers,” says Leonides Bulalayao, one of my best students a few years ago in math education at the Ateneo de Manila University graduate school. “I dreamed of being an accountant. Never did I imagine myself teaching in a classroom, making lesson plans and going over student papers. But, looking back now, I feel that life has its own purpose and some things, good and bad, are truly beyond our control.”
Bulalayao was born in Nueva Ecija; her father was a farmer and her mother, a dressmaker. “Our parents instilled in us the value of education as the only path to a better future. We learned to dream, for ourselves and for them.”
But when Bulalayao was 10 years old, her father died, and money became tight. When she graduated valedictorian from high school, she felt a bitter irony.
“I exhorted my co-graduates to pursue and achieve their dreams. But I couldn’t help feeling sorry for myself. I felt that life was unfair and I was frightened by the thought that my dream of a college (education) was going to remain just that—a dream.”
Bulalayao worked in a garment factory for five long years. But she mustered the courage to take a scholarship examination, which she passed. She went to college, majoring not in Accounting, which entailed additional expenses, but in Education. “But after meeting mathematics again in Education, I have no regrets.”
Since 1987, Bulalayao has been teaching math and information technology at the Nueva Ecija High School in Cabanatuan City. “Students approach math with anxiety, and motivational techniques go a long way in making them understand concepts. I use concrete objects to help them make sense of abstractions. I introduce songs to help students recall formulas, and games to facilitate connections with real life.”
Bulalayao has evidently succeeded—a number of her students have taken Education, major in math, as well.
In 2004, Bulalayao was chosen one of the Top 25 Innovative Teacher Leadership Award recipients by the Department of Education (DepEd). Her students have won regional math and computer contests. Her life story is included in a collection of Ateneo inspirational stories I edited, “Magis: Writings on Learning, Striving, and Serving.”
This Saturday, at the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia complex, Pasay City, Bulalayao and three other educators will be honored in the Tribute for Teachers by Diwa Learning Systems and Bato-Balani Foundation.
Mangyan mentor
Forty years ago, Fr. Edward Dinter, SVD, realized the only way the Mangyans could improve their lives was through education. Long treated as second-class citizens by lowlanders, the Mangyans needed to think for themselves, make their own decisions, and let their voices be heard.
Fr. Dinter, fondly called “Amang” by the Mangyans, established schools throughout Oriental Mindoro, grade schools at the Naswak Mangyan in Bongabong, Piket Mangyan in San Teodoro, and Kisluyan Mangyan in Victoria; and high school at Mangyan Education Center in Bait, Mansalay. Fr. Dinter has founded around 30 elementary schools, most of which have already been transferred to DepEd.
There is always a danger that native peoples will forget their roots in their haste to adapt to the dominant culture. Recognizing this, Fr. Dinter taught the Mangyans to preserve and develop their own heritage. Students attend class in traditional clothes, and schedules are adjusted according to the groups’ customs and needs.
Fr. Dinter has published Mangyan folktales in the book “Tutong Iraya.” Now he is doing his best to preserve their writing system, one of the indigenous few left in the country.
Motorcycle teacher
Following in the footsteps of Fr. Dinter is Jenelyn Baylon, who rides her motorcycle for hours (even when pregnant) to reach Mangyan communities. Fording mountains and streams, Baylon brings much-needed resources to the tribes, such as cell phones and modern tools.
She conducts night sessions on basic and functional literacy for out-of-school youths and adult learners. She trains them on cell phone repair, electric arc welding, recycling. She initiated the Barangay Solid Waste Management Council and Materials Recovery Facilities for the Mangyans.
Baylon’s goal is to help the Mangyans raise their heads high. She discusses with them the Indigenous People’s Rights Act, and teaches them to be proud of their heritage.
Test master
In the southernmost tip of Leyte stands Sindangan Elementary School. Nine teachers minister to 197 students in only five classrooms. Agriculture is the main occupation, and students need to help in the farm so they have little time for homework.
But Margarita Gabriel is a true mentor. She came from a private school and, at first, found what she perceived as the “laid-back environment” of Sindangan strange. But she persevered and created a parent-tutoring program. Parents signed a contract with the school that not only required them to give their children time to do homework, but also to monitor them.
Gabriel motivates the students by teaching through games, visual aids, and small rewards such as stickers (most of which she buys or makes herself). She tutors students during recess, lunch, and weekends, and constantly looks for scholarships for deserving students.
Her patience and determination have inspired her students and fellow teachers. Sindangan Elementary School topped the National Achievement Test last year, and is now a model institution.
Visit www.tributetoteachers.diwa.ph.
Email the columnist at blessbook@yahoo.com.
Copyright 2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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