World Teacher's Day

   For today’s sake of celebrating teachers, let me get down my memory lane circa 1994. 

Ms. Florida Dao-ines was my grade 1 teacher in the then Kayan Community School. I thanked that I was bit of a reader so I was spared from her famed stick. Of course, my hearing wasn’t excused of her voice harping on the day’s if not yesterday’s lesson. Oh, I could see her small figure with her short curly hairdo passing by my grandparents’ place because she used to visit her brother on the next house. Ms. Dao-ines taught us room maintenance the organic way— scrub off graffiti on wooden desks with sandpaper tree leaves, sweep off dirt, whip the floor with banana leaves and finish it off with coconut husk.

On my second year with my grandparents going as second grader, I had Teacher Jeaneth Juan. She was my first troop leader in GSP and Agadangan became a vivid memory of the Scout Movement. Enamored with her not-so-strict classroom bearing, my classmates and I were saddened when one day we came to see her stripping the wall and told us she was moving out. Only to find out, we saw that the room was renovated.

 

Came grade three, I stayed for a while in Sumadel Elementary School. With my parents’ new workplaces, it meant new school, too. In Kayan Elementary School, Ms. Felicidad Cuyangoan became my grade three teacher. My hands were always eager raising but I’d like to think it was my being painfully shy that I squeaked on return demonstration. Ms. Yolanda Pe, meanwhile, handled science.

A year after and for the last year of primary education, I had Ms. Julie Ngagan for an adviser. She sent me on my first interschool science quest. She was pretty much of a classroom maker from dusting shelves to tending her dainty African violets inside and her mums outside. I wondered how her home must be like. 

As I helloed to my intermediate years, I welcomed more teachers. There were two sections of where I was, Ms. Chaokas was the adviser. Not much do I remember about her in the classroom except for her meek approach, brown leather heels and mid-calf rain boots. I think there was that time the faculty was having a uniform footwear from one salesman. Ms. Angeline San Jose took care of the other grade five section, and taught Math classes as sections switched. 

With my final year of my elementary education, Ms. Aurea Dalasen mentored me. While I was having luck for science, at least up to the provincial level, I got toughen up with history. Bloody string of events from the past! The placers were of the same school but I brought my school’s name at second to the least. 

     Mr. Macario Yagao, handling the other section, taught Filipino for both sections. 

       Remarkable being in the Home Economics Building, Ms. Rachel Say-eo taught us cooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, gardening and crafting. Part of wrestling thickets, we tended beds of beans of all variants- the sitting, climbing or string and whether black or white. We made jams of santol, cherries and guavas. I came to know there was another kind of scissors- the pinking, being used to avoid running of the hem.  

   Ms. Regina Velasco taught science for the intermediate grades and for two years had she been coaching me to interschool science quizzes. One time, she woke up late so we missed the ride to the fare. We attended a relative’s wake instead. “Apom gedan na,” was her way of saying nothing was missed. On merged classes, Ms. Velasco, the long-time librarian, was also our arts and music teacher. I remember how exasperated she was looking on our individual projects all seemingly alike. Yes, I myself did trace from the very art book! I saw how her passion was with pen, paper, chalk and blackboard but she also got enormous energy for music whether for a contest or not. She taught us the Kayan Hymn which we first sang as our graduation song. 

When the school year was drawing near, Ma’am Aurea handed me a piece in her calligraphic handwriting with revisions on it even to memorize. Unknowingly, it was my valedictory address. 

So, life rolled to high school. Ms. Eliza Celino, Ms. Rhea Basco, Ms. Jaqueline Gumangan and Mr. Noel Gumangan were my class advisers in chronology. If my memory serves me right, Ma’am Eliza took care of Filipino and algebra classes, Ma’am Jaqueline for English, Ma’am Rhea for science, Sir Ignacio Ngagan for geometry and physics, Sir Noel Gumangan for religion, arts and health. I adored my English class (and I thought once of taking up something related to it) and even wrote a dedication on a separate sheet of my term paper.

Life got on to college. My pre-vet subjects (a year in forestry) had each different handlers. I must look on my class cards! For my vet instructors and professors, I had a concise but complete list of acknowledgement on my thesis. Hail to all of you!

Many of my teachers were long gone but their voices are resonating distinctly in my head. Some I labeled strict. Some are motherly and fatherly in their own ways. Excuse for the reluctance of saying hi along the way. More than the physical cognizance in a handshake or a hug, I have in mind etched how you molded me into what I am today.