By Teacher Bong Lopez
A cool breeze of December and a scent of Christmas have been twittering around the soundless village when Gemma woke up as early as three o’clock in the morning. She was looking at the window for about an hour while holding a new dress she bought for bunso, when she saw and petrified with the falling star and immediately with no hesitation, she whispered a sanguine wish. After she spoke the secret words, her arid face became vivid and vigorous. Every day, she needs to fix all her daily routines and rituals, as part and parcel of being a wife, a mother of her four kids, and a public school teacher in a nearby town. “I need to finish folding these clothes first before doing my Daily Lesson Log while cooking rice for our breakfast. “ Gemma mumbles while she glances to her husband and four children sleeping soundly in their rooms.
Gemma is a mediocre public school teacher in Sta. Cruz, High School. She has been in teaching for almost twenty two years but still holding a position of Teacher I, the lowest rank in the platform of Department of Education (DepEd). In spite of this condition, she had devoted her life to teaching. She is very animated and enigmatic teacher that is why most of the students love and idolize her. “Why did you not pursue your Master degree and after that you can apply for promotion?” Maricel says, her closest friend and co-teacher who just promoted for Master Teacher I in Senior High School, a month ago, who is definitely rendered shorter service in the DepEd. “I thought of that but certainly it will become a dilemma. I have four kids and my husband only works in the field. We cannot even afford a Nanny. Saturdays and Sundays are just the remaining time for my family to go elsewhere, and bind together in our small Pentecostal church.” Gemma humbly replies. She thinks that sometimes aspiring in higher rank with higher compensation could create deviation in the academe.
Modern technologies and way of living have been continually emerging and the gaps of non-millennials and millennials are constantly broadening. These become great barriers between the students and the teachers. The Social Media has a great influence in these changes. Gemma, as a teacher needs to be abreast with these issues and be flexible by finding means how to bridge these hurdles. He religiously mingled with the students and discovered very important insights. Using the recent technologies and learners’ interests like Facebook (FB), Twitter, Instagram and the like including millennial language could be tools and aids in more emphatic and realistic teaching-learning process. Gemma should do the other way, this time she should be learning from the students.
When Gemma started writing original stories and tried to post on FB, she has received a lot of positive comments from the social media users and they shared her works. She tackled issues, conditions, and aspirations of the Public School teachers in her first novel series entitled Agonies of a Teacher. When the first part was posted, most of the comments from the readers are they excited in the next chapter. The most exhilarating part of Gemma’s life is when her second short story about life, love, betrayal and death became viral. Ang Diary ng Isang Patay (A Diary of the Dead) received more than twenty thousand likes and more than eighteen thousand shares in just two months from the FB users (netizens). In a glance Gemma’s life was turned upside down. The netizens became conscious and more eager about her life and her written stories. Some netizens with good hearts rendered help to Gemma in pursuing her talents by helping her in publishing her books and eventually earning certain amount additional to the salary she is getting in teaching.
There was also a bill created in the senate that the salaries of the public school teacher especially in the lowest rank will be doubled and already in its final reading next senate session. Some of the senators have read the stories written by Gemma and immediately they considered and probed the recent conditions and compensations of teachers and found out that
It is timely for them to receive higher salaries and more benefits to ease their financial burdens.
It was like fiesta at Sta. Cruz High School when a reporter from a well-known Television came to interview Gemma about her trendingpost. “What is your inspiration in making such viral stories Madam Gemma Sabado and where do you get the emotion of the stories which seem to be appealing to the readers worldwide?” Asked by Pam Agila a renowned reporter. “I am a very pragmatic person but with soft heart. I put empathy in my writings because I knew the feelings of being neglected and nothing. I represent stereotypical people, the netizens who simply want changes in their monotonous lives that even a single like or reaction in their posts matter a lot. I believe that everyone can be a means of changes and unity despite of the problems we are currently facing. My ounce of courage in this vision begins in my pen and ends in my mind, which is given by our Father, Our Omniscience God.” Says Gemma with tearing eyes.
“Mom is it true, look, you are in T.V.!” Pauleen says, Gemma’s daughter, and she tightly hugs and kisses her mother. “Congratulations Ma! We are so proud of you.” She happily continues. “Okay let’s eat, I just cooked spaghetti and fried chicken”. Gemma says as she calls everybody. “Yeheey!” They yell in chorus.
At the evening, when she was about to rest and take a long nap, she closed her eyes and say a little prayer and said “Dear God, thank you that despite of my infirmities and imperfectness you made me a teacher like you. It may not be the best and highest remunerated job in the world but I hope in my diminutive skills, empathy for children to learn and for unceasingly loving this mission, which you have bestowed upon my hands, every day, I will continue to write stories through the lives of my children. It could be fairy tales which always finish in a happy ending and tragedies that culminate to melancholy circumstances, but full of lessons to be learned. In Jesus name. Amen.”
