Teacher Suzanne Rivera was inspired by the Honesty Coffee Shop in Batanes and decided to set up the Honesty Store in a public school in Malabon, Metro Manila. A small box containing school supplies and candies is being rotated in different classrooms during the school week to test the students’ value of honesty.
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts,” wrote the British novelist and poet C.S. Lewis.
Lewis’ words ring loud and clear in the lives and works of four exceptional teachers who have made it into the 2016 roster of honorees of an advocacy campaign, The Many Faces of the Teacher (TMFT), run bv Bato Balani Foundation Inc. and Diwa Learning Systems.
Ryan Homan, Suzanne Rivera, Maestro Jose Valdez and Dr. Vivian Topor, this year’s four honorees, were chosen from 12 finalists who were prescreened from close to a hundred nominations received all over the Philippines.
“The teachers are the backbone of society, and it is only fitting that we recognize those who initiated projects which served the community,” said Armel Espiritu, vice president for corporate communications of Diwa Learning Systems.
Espiritu said TMFT, which pays tribute to teachers, uplifts the teaching profession and also encourages the younger generation to become educators themselves.
The honorees
In the mountain village of San Jose, Donsol, Sorsogon, Ryan Homan carries out reading-centered initiatives to improve the literacy rate of children and their parents.
In Malabon City, the “Honesty Store” was established by values education teacher Suzanne Rivera in Tinajeros National High School to instill good morals in the lives of teenage students.
A music teacher for 45 years, Maestro Jose Valdez has gained the moniker of being the “Father of Classical Guitar in the Philippines” for his contributions in enriching classical music education in the Philippines.
Dr. Vivian Topor, a University of the Philippines–Visayas chemistry professor, helps protect communities from cyanide poisoning as she developed the Cassava Cyanide Color Wheel Kit to teach food safety guidelines focusing on cassavas.
Excellence
Homan, Rivera, Valdez and Topor all believe that in teaching, excellence should always be practiced in whatever field or subject area.
“When I teach, I’d like to leave a part of myself to my students,” said Maestro Valdez, a music professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
“I believe that every student is an entrustment by God, so I do my best when I teach them. I do not like to waste time,” he added.
Valdez is a self-taught musician who did not complete a formal music degree but rose to become a sought-after music teacher because of his love and passion for music.
To date, he has written 29 books containing compositions and arrangements focusing on Philippine classical music.
For Homan, an elementary school teacher, his thrust is to help students gain access to reading materials and for them to enjoy learning.
Homan started two literacy initiatives in the mountain village of San Jose, Donsol, Sorsogon.
The Balsa-Basa and Walk for Knowledge bring books to children living in far-flung areas.
“It is my social responsibility to give back to these children because I was once like them with no access to reading materials,” said Homan.
Homan started out as unpaid volunteer for a village school in Barangay Old Maguisa, where he first taught 20 children how to read, write and count.
Dr. Vivian Topor is a University of the Philippines–Visayas chemistry professor who developed the Cassava Cyanide Color Wheel Kit, a simple alternative to industry-grade cyanide-testing equipment to help farmers test cyanide content in the different varieties of cassava. Dr. Topor developed the test after hearing news last year of students falling ill after eating cassava cake.
Values
As a values education teacher, Rivera was faced with the challenge of starting a movement that will make students see the value of honesty.
Rivera narrated how frustrating it was to hear news of graft and corruption and how the culture of dishonesty permeated even in the school.
Inspired by the Honesty Coffee Shop in Batanes, Rivera decided to set up the Honesty Store in Tinajeros National High School, a public school in Malabon, where a small box containing school supplies and candies is being rotated in different classrooms during the school week.
Only she and the class president know about the inventory.
“We have experienced a couple of pesos and I take it as a cue to tell the students about the value of honesty and how it affects our lives not only now but also in their future endeavors,” said Rivera.
The project has since been replicated by the Department of Education Division of Malabon in 10 other schools in the area.
In 2015, Dr. Topor heard news over the radio that 31 students fell ill in Barangay Suclaran, San Lorenzo, Guimaras, after eating cassava cake.
This prompted her to develop the Cassava Cyanide Color Wheel Kit as a simple alternative to industry-grade cyanide-testing equipment to help farmers test the cyanide content in the different varieties of cassava.
The darker the wheel color, the higher the percentage of cyanide in a particular variety, said the chemistry professor.
“When I talk to technicians and farmers, I make sure that I explain this to them in basic terms because it is important that they understand what I am talking about so they are well-informed,” she added.
Rewards
As TMFT honorees, Valdez, Homan, Rivera and Topor did not receive any cash awards.
According to Espiritu, organizers of the search never wanted the campaign to be all about money and perks ever since it started 15 years ago.
“We have been looking for inspiring stories of teachers who did not just confine themselves inside the four walls of the classroom but actually did something to make a difference in the community and the lives of their students,” said Espiritu.
Espiritu said they established good relationships with their honorees by helping them bridge connections to possible partners who can help sustain their projects and individual initiatives.
The four teachers were honored at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino last October 1 during an annual Tribute to Teachers event.
Learn more of this year’s model teachers in the succeeding issues of Cebu Daily News as we celebrate World Teachers’ Day on October 5.