A humble salute to teachers

Teacher. Mentor. Educator. Professor.

They go by many names. But the role they play in helping develop individuals is the same - mold minds and character of the young.

At some point in our formal education, there will be at least one teacher who makes a tremendous impact in our life. The face and name of that teacher is ingrained in our memory and heart for how they treated us, supported us, reformed us, or even put us down.

In the same way that teachers have favorite students, most kids have a teacher that they are most fond of and are willing to work harder for.

Any truly dedicated educator will tell you that the biggest reward from teaching is being remembered by their students a decade or so after they've parted ways.

Yes, they are as proud as parents for the achievements of their former students once they're out of school and forging a path in the real world.

Honoring mentors

It was this unique relationship between student and teacher that inspired us to conceptualize and undertake a contest to honor educators. We thought of an essay-writing contest open to grade school and high school students.

After hours of brainstorming, we decided to call the contest: LAB KO SI TITSER (I Love Teacher). It was most apt because we wanted to know why students love their teachers, or a particular mentor.

The mechanics were simple: write about a favorite teacher. And the essay was to be handwritten. Why? It's one way to ascertain the participant did it themselves (the actual writing at least).

The contest was in line with a radio program we were producing for a senator, whose advocacy was uplifting the plight of teachers, particularly those in public schools.

No one among our group ever imagined the overwhelming response the contest received. Of course cash prizes were an incentive - 10,000 pesos for the top winner, and smaller amounts for those coming in 2nd to 5th places, for two categories.

Overwhelming

This was a huge undertaking that overwhelmed our group. Who knew there were so many details that needed attention for a national essay-writing contest?

But it was too late to back out. The announcement had been broadcast on radio, and the Department of Education agreed to help in disseminating information to all the schools in the country.

Logistics was one headache. Planning every tiny detail to ensure its success was stressful. But the real gargantuan task was selecting the best entries.

Culling the best from hundreds

To do that, we had to read through each and every essay submitted. And there were hundreds, if not close to a thousand (sacks and sacks of mailed entries)! Gasp!!!

The task of reading and sifting through each entry made our heads pound, and our eyes water and roll. We would spend a week or so to whittle it down to the best.

Aside from content, we had to be mindful of grammar and facility of language, (we accepted entries both in English and Filipino), aside from looking for that unique quality that made an entry stand out from the rest.

That meant spending not just hours but days pouring over pad papers or bond papers, deciphering handwriting, wiping our tears from both heart-wrenching stories or laughing our hearts out because of hilarious tales.

Once we'd chosen the top 10 entries for each category, a panel of esteemed judges, headed by our principal, would have the last say in picking out the final winners.

Even with the stringent pre-selection process, the judges admitted they still had a very hard time deciding on the ranking of entries, and choosing the eventual winners.

Pride in their hearts

After the winners had been selected, there was the matter of flying in those from the provinces and billeting them in hotels close to the venue of the awarding ceremonies.

The resources necessary to pull off what we thought was a small undertaking just blew our minds. We don't even know how we finally managed to raise the funds to cover all the expenses.

But to see the excited faces of the finalists and winners, along with their families, just wiped out the stressful moments and anxiety we were all feeling on the run-up to the awarding ceremonies.

I hardly slept the night before and was operating on adrenaline for most of that final day. As I stood on the podium to welcome everyone that night and express our gratitude for everyone who supported us, it was one proud moment.

And when the teachers referred to in the winning entries were asked to come onstage to take a bow, it was hard to hold back tears.

That evening, looking at every mentor's face as they glowed with pride looking at their beloved students, I knew we had accomplished our mission twice over.

It made me look back on my former teachers who touched my life in big and small ways and helped push me to realize my potentials.

And to every teacher who remains committed to bringing out the best in the youth that comes under their wings, in spite all the challenges and heartache the profession exacts out of you, my sincerest gratitude.

Thank you for your service.

Images: Unsplash