By Eunhice Corpuz

During high school, in every hallway, you’ll hear ‘Salamat’ by Yeng Constantino on repeat to honor the teachers in light of the celebration of Teacher’s Day. In Far Eastern University (FEU), faculty members are greeted by Tamaraws to show appreciation for giving quality education. From the songs we sing and the praises we give, how do we know what makes our teacher a teacher? 

Ever since we stepped inside an academic premise, we learned from our instructors who taught us lessons about every subject we loved and hated to take. Thus, what makes them the person we meet and greet in every room in school?  

As a Tamaraw

In an interview with FEU Advocate, General Education faculty Mark Dannielle Montealegre shared his passion for teaching along with his experiences. 

“My experience so far in the world of teaching is absolutely fun. I’m passionate about teaching [and] talking with different students, especially sharing knowledge inside the classroom. So, whenever I have the chance to talk with my students, I feel fulfilled with that,” he expressed. 

Montealegre also shared that he is continuously learning, even if he is now a fully fledged teacher. 

“When you enter the world of teaching, [learning] is a continuous process. Hindi siya nag-e-end nu’ng naging teacher ka, hindi nag-e-end ‘yung pagkatuto. It’s a learning process, tuloy-tuloy siya, even [‘pag] nagtuturo ka na. So, I always tell my students, na we are learning from one another,” Montealegre asserted. 

Before becoming a professor at FEU, Montealegre once walked in Thy Happy Halls as a Communication student before attaining his bachelor’s degree in 2022, specifically pursuing the Convergent Media Track. 

Typically, apart from students, teachers face challenges such as managing and balancing life outside the school premises. But for Montealegre, the present work-life balance is favorable, as there are only four days of work and the remaining three are free days. 

“If you are a teacher, at some point, minsan, you use your free days, for example, to check assessments of your students, so that is extra work outside of [your] work hours but when we say balance, it is up to you how you manage your time. So, basically, it could be work-life balance if you manage your time and set up priorities,” he said.

At every start of enrollment, Tamaraws became the most inquisitive when asking for ‘professor recommendations,’ hoping that luck would be on their side to survive and thrive during the academic year in guidance of an ideal professor. 

Oftentimes, students share their memories about the mentioned names which could serve as an invitation or warning for others, prompting whether to ‘run’ or ‘stay.’ 

Having experienced the same journey, he is lenient on his students regarding deadlines as a teacher, for he remembers the struggle of handling numerous tasks at once. 

Hence, he classified himself as the in-between one because he can be easy-going and strict at the same time. 

“I can say na hindi ako ‘terror’ in a way na hindi kasi ‘yon ang personality ko as a person. I am not strict. I can say I am in between being lenient and strict and always being considerate with my students. For example, when they are having difficulties with their schedules, again, in our institutions, students have seven to eight hours [of] classes, so hindi lang ikaw ‘yung focus nila [students],” Montealegre explained.

Apart from him, FEU Institute of Arts and Sciences Chemistry teacher Mark Neil Dionio discussed the status quo on being a teacher in the University. 

“In my 10 months of teaching at FEU, I believe the interactions between students and instructors have been extremely positive. I believe that working at FEU will improve my work-life balance because I can enroll in master's studies at UPLB [University of the Philippines - Los Baños],” he shared. 

Dionio started his academic career at National University in 2022 and is now a full-time faculty member at FEU. 

After months of teaching, he remarked that he is neither strict nor the favorite, as he strongly considers boundaries when deciding whether to be stern or not. 

“I’m neither, since I believe that there are times when strictness is necessary in the classroom, such as with paper and project submissions. However, there are also times when a relaxed interaction with students is necessary, such as asking about their feelings on the subject or discussing current events,” Dionio said. 

Reality check 

The country faced a brick wall when it ranked at the bottom after the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It is alarming to denote that the country’s future is facing difficulties in math, science, reading, and creative thinking.  

Consequently, the formerly appointed Department of Education Secretary (DepEd) and Vice President Sara Duterte was called out on social media because of her controversial confidential funds. 

Now, the new DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara asserted the implementation of a 30-minute reading time in between classes and the “Catch-up Fridays” program to improve the performance of the students on the next PISA assessment on public schools.

Furthermore, the implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum aims to focus on the development of life skills, reading comprehension, math, and science subjects for each student from Kindergarten to Grade 10. 

These changes all boil down to the teachers who maneuver the learning process of the learners. However, quality education will be difficult to attain if they are equally challenged to do so. 

Teachers encounter numerous problems: a shortage of financial educational support, working conditions, mismatched graduate skills and labor market expectations, and a lack of facilities in rural areas. 

Despite these drawbacks, they continue to serve and teach their students with utmost perseverance and dedication. Amid the predicaments, they continue to be passion-driven to share their knowledge. 

As Robert Heilein said, “when one teaches, two learn.”

What makes them unique is that they are the creators of society; they prepare their students to be the professionals they aim to become. 

Apart from those who are present inside a four-cornered classroom, the first teachers who teach the alphabet and counting are the parents. Parents taught us to learn the basics of life to prepare students before entering academic life. 

Volunteer teachers are also teachers who educate students even outside the school premises. Teacher Mayka is a volunteer teacher for Lumad and, along with her main job, she continuously fights for their rights as they are one of the oppressed and overlooked classes in society. 

Additionally, the people who taught students the life lessons they uphold until now are considered teachers for they not only taught them the learning objectives of a lesson, but they gave a lesson to students that will remain even after the class has ended. 

Every academic year, it is not only the students who prepare for a new year to unfold. Teachers are also working behind the scenes to submit lesson plans and activities to be proposed. They molded each person we look up to in society; it is them who taught us to be tough, competent, and brave. Thus, a month of celebration for their perseverance, passion, and dedication to serving is one of the many ways of thanking them for inspiring us into who we are today. 

(Illustration by Alexandra Lim/FEU Advocate)