03/10/2025
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐: ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
By Marjorie C. Marani
โThe stars are beautiful because of a flower that cannot be seen.โ This line from The Little Prince reflects the quiet, yet evident truth of a teacher. They are the overrated jack of all trades, and unrealized OG builders of societyโweaving dreams, mentoring characters, and leading lives.
The role of a teacher does not stop at being a knowledge contributor. Given the nature of their job, they are required to become so much more. Teachers are a master of many roles becoming almost, if not, everything like being the second parents, a role model, a fan, a supporter, a nurse, a therapist, a healer, an artist, a career builder, and more. The integrity of this profession became the backbone of society because there is no other profession without the teaching profession.
Behind every realized and achieved dream is a teacher who gives courage to young minds who once knew nothing but curiosity. Consciously or unconsciously, they become dream weaversโstitching the yarns of possibilities into visions, visions into potentials, potentials into hopes, and hopes into realities.
An ambition far greater than the four corners of the classroom can ignite in the simplest gesture of a teacher: explaining a concept, carefully choosing a story to tell, sharing a personal experience, providing words of encouragement, or simply showing upโphysically and emotionallyโfor their students. They plant the seed of ambition until it grows into a pursuit of passion, careers, and goals, bearing the fruit of success.
But the role of a teacher does not stop there. They don't just educate minds, they also shape characters and lead lives. Aside from cultivating the intellectual aspects of students, they also cultivate moral aspectsโshaping hearts with values. They lead through example, consistency, humility, and their ability to inspire. A teacher's influence can change the trajectory of a studentโs life. As such, they don't just correct papers but also paths. They don't just provide lectures but also life lessons. Like the flower that cannot be seen, their efforts and leadership are quietโoften unheard and unrecognizedโbut the results are loud, reflected in the progress of society.
The teaching profession is not easy. It demands a lot from a teacher, not just physically but in all aspects of their lives. From the internal to external struggles of having too much workloads, not enough support from the government, limited resources, financial problems, personal struggles, and the reality that they are not paid enough for the multiple roles they have played. Yet people tend to disregard this and cage their idea of a teaching profession as merely โmaking lesson plansโ or โsinging nursery rhymes.โ Regardless, teachers continueโchoosing to nurture, and choosing to believe in futures they may never fully witness.
This truth becomes evident in the life of a Visayanian teacher, rooted in a culture of resilience, discipline and excellence. For Jorenie Alfante, teaching is more than a profession; it is a mission and a vocation. He explains, โthe true essence of being a teacher as a mentor is to help your students become a human beingโฆ someone who is equipped with human values that allows him to treat other people around him betterโฆ we donโt want to produce educated monsters.โ His words reflect the type of students he wanted to produceโ a compassionate and responsible individual.
Alfante also embodies leadership, discipline, and achievement in his daily practiceโ reflecting the values of a true Visayanian. He shares, โI see myself as an intellectual leader in the classroomโฆ I make sure the students understand those concepts that they have to understand for their future careersโฆ in terms of disciplineโฆ I always see to it that the classroom is cleanโฆ and also in terms of their academics I share insights to my students that will help them gain better scores.โ On achievement, he highlights, โI set high standards for my students because I want them to conquer their own selves, to push themselves to their limitsโฆ if they are able to push themselves to their limits, then thatโs already a form of excellence.โ
For Eliah Eden Antiga, passion fuels her motivation and dedication to teaching. She reveals, โI am motivated everyday to teach despite of heavy responsibility because this is my passion ever sinceโฆ itโs really a mission because once you really put into your head that itโs really a mission even if you have so many responsibilities to do everydayโฆ as long as you love what you're doing you're tired feeling everyday..everything will just disappear because of the passion of yours.โ She embraces challenges with positivity, saying, โpressure is naturalโฆ the most important thing is how you dance with the pressureโฆ every pressure is an opportunity for me to grow.โ
Antiga's vision of the legacy that she wants her students to take with them is equally inspiring. She emphasizes, โI just want them to be true to their passionโฆ I just want to tell everyday my students that if you really love teaching then try to stand with thatโฆ do not be the best teacher, not an intelligent teacher, but a teacher who knows how to listen, who knows how to sympathize everybody, to empathize everybody.โ For her, teaching is about fostering inclusion and care, ensuring โnobody is left behind inside the classroomโฆ everybody is part of the group.โ
Truly, teachers are the silent flower in every person's achievement. Their guidance, patience , and dedication builds lives and shapes the society. Like the flower in The Little Prince, they may be unnoticed but their presence makes a big impact in peopleโs lifeโallowing them to shine like stars.
