11/09/2025
| ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ก-๐ค๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ค: ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฅ๐ค๐จ๐
What makes someone trade the security of a business career for the unpredictability of teaching? For Esperanza Quirino, the answer is simple: purpose.
When Maโam Esperanza joined the Department of Education in 2016, she was no stranger to hard work. She had managed a meat processing business and a small retail store, taken on roles in purchasing, cost accounting, and inventory management, and built a career in the manufacturing industry. But deep inside, something was missing.
โI tried business but felt unfulfilled and disconnected,โ she said. โTeaching gave me purpose and the deep sense of connection I was searching for.โ
๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
Her journey to the classroom was not instant. Life carefully stacked bridges that led her toward her true calling and that is guiding young minds. She now teaches ABM specialized subjects with a masterโs degree in mathematics education and a bachelorโs in business administration, proof that she merges business expertise with educational passion.
She admits that her first year of teaching were filled with challenges. Entering during the peak of the digital era meant abandoning traditional teaching methods she grew up with and learning new ways to connect with students.
โIt was a shock,โ she recalled. โBut I kept learning every software I could find, adjusting as much as I could. Even now, Iโm still figuring things out, but I keep going because I love what I do.โ
๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
To her students, Maโam Esperanza is a patient and supportive mentor. But beyond the classroom, she is a wife, a mother of four, a fur parent, and a plantita who finds peace tending to her garden on weekends.
She balances all these roles gracefully, seeing them not as burdens but as sources of strength.
โOn weekdays, I canโt help but think about teaching, even when Iโm cooking or cleaning. But weekends are for my dogs, my plants, and most importantly, my family.โ
Her husband, whom she calls her greatest source of strength, and her grown children give her a steady foundation to face each weekโs challenges.
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐
For Maโam Esperanza, teaching has never been confined to grades, quizzes, or passing marksโit is about shaping lives. To her, every lesson is an opportunity to inspire, every student a story waiting to be heard.
โIโve come to realize that before I expect students to easily understand what I teach, I must first acknowledge that personal struggles get in the way of learning. I must be patient and guide them toward the standards they need to meet,โ she shared thoughtfully.
Her classroom is not just a place of instruction but a safe space where compassion meets discipline. She envisions leaving behind a legacy that goes beyond textbooks and examsโa legacy built on empathy, understanding, and encouragement.
Much like her mentor, Professor Dean Carmelita U. Cruz, whose authored math books lit a path of clarity and confidence for her during graduate school; Maโam Esperanza hopes to be a beacon for her students. She dreams that, years from now, they will not just remember formulas and theories but the way she made them feel, supported, understood, and capable.
Above all, she wishes to be remembered as the teacher who taught them not just to learn but to love learning.
๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ
As Teacherโs Month is celebrated, Maโam Esperanza reminds us that teaching is not just a profession, itโs a mission.
โTeachersโ Month isnโt just about celebrating us,โ she said. โItโs also a reminder that teachers go through their own struggles, too. If you can, lend a little kindness, a little effort, and help make the learning journey smoother for everyone. Weโre all in this together.โ
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐
Esperanza means โhopeโโand she lives up to her name every day. In a world where education faces constant change, Maโam Esperanza Quirino remains a steady light, illuminating not just lessons but life values. She is proof that when passion meets purpose, teachers donโt just teach, they transform lives.
| via Marcelline Roxas, The Viewpoint News
Layout By: Kyla Eslabon
