today is world teachers' day

my parents were teachers. four of my aunts were teachers. when i was a little girl, my mom always brought me to her school and so i grew up knowing her friends and even tutored by some. growing up, whenever i was asked if i wanted to be one myself, i'd answer with an emphatic "NO".

i wanted to be a doctor, or a speech pathologist. even a nun when i was in elementary school. being a teacher never crossed my mind.

in grade school, i had teachers who were total opposites.

i had a teacher who, when a classmate in prep pushed me in a puddle, said "indi tu hungod, katambok abi sa imo kundi nasalapay ka" (she didn't mean it. you're fat that's why you got in your classmate's way). i also had one who always criticized my performance in her subject (filipino - i was really terrible in the subject).

but i also had teachers who told me "whatever you want to do, you can". they always seemed to believe the best in me. they pushed me to join contests, encouraged me to sign up for the different school clubs (yes, even the dancing one. hahaha)...they just believed in me - all fatty fat fat with unruly hair me.

after i graduated in college and passed the board exam, the university offered me a job to teach and i said no a couple of times before i finally gave in (with a little coercion, maybe? hahaha) . i told the dean then that i will only be teaching for one semester...and now it has been years since i signed that contract with the university.

so what made me stay?

at first i enjoyed being financially capable. i loved being able to buy stuff for myself and putting in money for a business (which is now a different story) and saving money for future use. but later on, i realized that i like teaching, and after a few more years, i realized and now know that i LOVE teaching.

i love seeing my students eyes light up whenever they overcome a difficulty in their lessons, or when their experiments turn out well. i love seeing them interact with each other and build friendships. i love being friends with them, sharing and making memories while they are in the university or during their internship. i love seeing them accomplish something, and my heart swells every time i see them taking their oaths as fellow pharmacists.

so yeah, I am a teacher. And it is a strange, scary thing to be. sometimes i still find myself unprepared for my lessons. this sem had me questioning my being one. there are times when i feel that i am not enough (i know i need to take a break from teaching soon coz i need a breahter). But I was raised by some of the best and so I, in turn, need to believe that I didn’t turn out too bad myself.


to my teachers from grade school to graduate school, to my mom's friends and to those i consider my mentors, thank you for guiding me all these years. i am the kind of teacher i am today because of you. happy teachers' day! i love you so much.