On Becoming a Teacher

 

Becoming a teacher was not really my ambition back then. Though I love being in front of audiences, I was not seeing myself talking and inculcating ideas to middle-aged humans, even more so to dealing hyperactive kids. But when I started to create hyper squads my own, I didn’t notice that I already made our house into a little classroom. Then I found myself making reading materials and other manipulatives for my two sons. Then I was saying, “Teaching is no easy job at all, yet the feeling of fulfillment when your children are learning is really empowering”. Then I saw something positive amidst the COVID pandemic in 2021, this online learning. So, I gave a wild try since I only had to attend classes virtually and submit tasks through online platform provided by Visayas State University which the VSUEE or the Visayas State University E-Learning Environment. But this mode of learning didn’t last long, face to face classes were back as we started our second-year journey in the university. Then the real struggles began showing off. Head-cracking activities and hectic academic schedules are an everyday occurrence. And after a couple of months, that’s my normal life already. My weekly routine revolves VSU, dorm and home only. One week in school, then one week at home, and vice-versa.

All of these hardships right now are just a preparatory phase on becoming a license and professional teacher someday. I can’t quit now, or else I can’t make it for the rest of my life. I have to instill so much amount of motivations in me to keep myself going and reach the finish line – our graduation day. I know that this is not yet the real battle, since after graduation the real battle is just about to start. Taking and passing licensure examination or the LET is just another battle to fight on becoming a professional educator. However, whatever circumstances that might lie ahead of us, we will surely reflect everything we have learned during our stay in VSU Tolosa. The globally competitive teachers and their teaching approaches, the kind of learning environment that honed us into a competitive future educator, and of course the good values they have instilled upon us even from the very beginning. Kind of values that will make us reach our full potential as efficient, reliable, and exemplar educators to our future learners.

For now, thank you VSU Tolosa for this wonderful opportunity!

My College Life at Visayas State University Tolosa

 

College life is no easy journey to walk through, that’s for sure. And mine is a little too dramatic than that. Imagine being enrolled in one of the most outstanding and globally competitive schools in the Philippines? Isn’t it a little too overwhelming? However, I have to do an affirmation that my commitment to continue in college is irrevocable. Since online learning has ended, me and my husband had to sit and talk in-depth together concerning what would be our plans to my studies, to our kids. Should I pursue what I’ve started even if it means being apart from my kids for the very first time? Or should I quit for the second time, and focus my time and attention with my kids instead? My hesitations came back, I kept on asking myself, isn’t it the right thing to do? What if I fail? What if something happens to my children because of my absence? I had to be very particular in decision-making this time because once something happens which is not part of our plan, everything will fall down all at once, including my dreams for my family. But, I ended up packing things to move into my dormitory just nearby VSU Tolosa. My husband allowed me to stay in the dormitory for it is more expensive if I will commute everyday and that would be exhausting too. I have to take 3 rides every day, from our house to Dagami proper with a 50-peso fair, from Dagami proper to Tanauan with a 40-peso fair, then from Tanauan to Tolosa with a 30-peso fair, and that would be 240 pesos for a back and forth travel per day. Actually, I tried to commute for I guess 3 days, and almost all of my husband’s salary for a week were all spent for me.

I had a hard time falling asleep every night during my first 1-2 weeks in the dorm. Why not? it’s my first to sleep alone far from family. I cried for how many nights and attended my classes with swollen eyes. I can’t buy delicious and expensive viands thinking that my children would have just eaten plain and tasteless meals. Also, I have to do a very meticulous budgeting for my allowance to reach Fridays. And I have to restrict my self from the VSU cafeteria because I don’t want the smell of the air there. I can’t take the savory smell coming from the kitchen. I may salivate badly. And it’s a good thing also that my classmates are not that extravagant when it comes to food, they are yet pennywise. I am thankful that almost all of my classmates are full grown individuals already, and we really get along together. I am comfortable with them and they treat me as “Ate” or “Nanay” in our block. At least it lightens my struggles knowing that I am not an outcast in our class. Furthermore, I am feeling the pressure of being an old curriculum student back then, I can’t relate some of the lessons that appeared to be just a recap from the lesson in Senior High School only. Computer literacy was also one of my greatest weakness and I had a hard time utilizing these various social media platforms, software, and applications software to complete and submit a task. I had to learn on how to use these modern technologies because whether I like it or not, it is part of the modern educational paradigm, unlike before during my high school days that it was just pencil-paper mode of learning.

With my rigorous attempt to learn these technological advancements, and with the aid of my classmates that served as my scaffolding, I was finally started to learn how to use an application such as powerpoint presentation, canva, capcut, etc. I was introduced to social media platforms like googlemeet and google classroom and all. This modern learning fascinates me a lot. Education really have come a long way now, it is way modestly further from what I experienced during my high school days way back in 2000. Indeed, technology makes our learning in VSU Tolosa more exciting as we do the compliance in the 21^st century learning environment. Visayas State University would surely a rocky-road ride in my next 2-year rides left as BEEd Student. But, I am optimistic enough to think that after 2 years, me and classmates will walk altogether in the aisle towards the stage, grasping the token of our endeavor- our DIPLOMA.

 

My Self

         

       Hi! My name is Rutchel Bantilan Sabulao. I was born in a far-flung barangay in Dagami, Leyte named Sto. Domingo. I just turned 35 last February 2023. I am married to my loving husband Jason for 10 years now and we are blessed with 2 sons. Currently enrolled as a second year BEEd student at VSU Tolosa, probably the oldest student in the university at present. I was born and raised by a farmer father and local politician mother. Probably, this was the reason why I became an extrovert person. At a young age, I became socially oriented since our house seems to be an office as well a free eat-all-you-can cafeteria. Our life became more complicated yet meaningful thereafter.

        Being surrounded by diverse people in our locality, it influenced and developed my personality as an extrovert. I am an outgoing person and I really love to mingle with people at an early age. During my elementary days I spent a lot of time talking with my classmates than doing my activities, or I would rather help them first finish their activities before doing mine. Then I started having passion talking, singing, and dancing in front of many people, I don’t know but it did give me a feeling of fulfillment when I started performing in front of the class and audiences. As a youngest child in the family, I always wanted to be heard, I wanted that my ideas and opinion be considered by my older siblings inside our house, especially when our parents were out. That’s why my family kept on telling me then that I should take broadcasting course and be a media practitioner since I always find ways to reason our and talk. But for me, that was not a compliment, it felt that they are mocking me instead. Well so far, I finished my elementary grades as an honor student. Imagine that feeling being so empowered when the master of the ceremony finally uttered my full name as I walked up on stage during our graduation day. It’s priceless. Then my mother was calling some photographer whose actually took multiple pictures of us already. I wished for a cake that time, as to what I heard from my other classmates, and they called it “blowout” but then my mother bought “puding” instead. Well, not bad, it was my favorite too.

        Fast forward, I graduated as a valedictorian in high school. Then I started to feel the pressure on my shoulder, I didn’t feel like rejoicing at all, all want is to stop schooling and I even wished to become a barangay official and serve our locals. People started to decide for myself, they kept on telling me to this, to do that, I should take this, I should follow my sister’s footstep which was then a fresh graduate in LNU as BEEd student. Of course, I didn’t do it, I took up ABCommunication, pursuing my dream, to become a media practitioner. Then nightmare came, due to all pressures leaning upon me, I got sick and my physician advised me to quit school since I had severe anemia. Yes, even I appeared healthy from the outside because of my rounded-shaped body, I happened to be sickly since birth. Thereafter, I had depression, I suffered series of anxiety attack that time. Knowing that my high school classmates were on their way to their graduation events already but there I was lying helpless and feeling invalid. I didn’t want to go out in our house since I felt like I was a huge frustration to my family, to my classmates and to my teachers, thinking that their class valedictorian didn’t make it in college. 

        After so many pushes and firm motivations from my friends and my better half, they convinced me to reenroll college. I was reluctant at first, considering the idea that I am too old to fit in a teenager-packed classroom and besides, I have kids already and they are too young to be left alone. But I ended up taking admission test online hoping VSU Tolosa would be the institution that would finally pave ways for me towards success. I managed my studies during my first since, it was in online or distance learning anyway, as part of the government campaign to persist education amidst a COVID pandemic. This mode of learning was favorable for a student mother like me. I was able to attend my classes, took care of my children, and finished m errands all at the same time at the comfort of my home. I was able to be in the college honor list which some people raised their eyebrows and said “Katas la iton hit online”. I laughed at it. Am I not too old for this kind of competitions and comparison thing? I never wished to be in an honor list, having completed and passed all my academic subjects is more than enough for me, being an honor student is just a bonus. Well, I am just doing my part as a student in a free education system and I will be forever grateful to the government. Moreover, I know for myself that whatever my grades and achievements would be, I would always be thankful for all the supports and motivations of the people closest to my heart especially my family, because they are my true inspiration and I do all of these strivings for them.