Teacher teaches students about simplicity and happiness this Christmas

Here are the students of Teacher Annalie who brought their Christmas gifts wrapped with banana leaves during their Christmas party last December 16. | Annalie Gantuangco

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Amid the high-tech world that we live in, there is still happiness in simplicity.

This is what Teacher Annalie Gantuangco, 45, of Caraatan Elementary School in Carcar City wanted her 10 Grade 2 students to be reminded of.

That is why last Dec. 16, 2022, she let her students wrap their gifts using banana leaves. Not only that, she also let them experience eating their food using banana leaves as their plates.

This is indeed a unique and a eco-friendly Christmas party that she had spent with her students. For her, it is crucial that as young as these students are, they should know where to focus their attention to and to be grateful with the simplest gift that they have received and will receive.

“What I’m trying to teach my children and their parents is diskarte sa kinabuhi (how to go about with life), being simple in life, standard bisan pasko pa (even if it is Christmas). Pasko is still Pasko bisan wala ang makabusog sa ato mata, mga palamuti sa palibot (Christmas is still Christmas if there are things that can satisfy our eyes, the shiny decorations in the surroundings),” Teacher Annalie said.

Teacher Annalie says letting her 10 Grade 2 students wrap their Christmas gifts with banana leaves helps them to realize that there is happiness in simplicity. | Annalie Gantuangco

What does Christmas mean to her? Like what she wanted her students to know, it is to learn to love one’s self and others by any means.

Caraatan Elementary School was the school she dreamed about when she was still in third year college. The sense of belonging she felt in the area is among the driving factors on why she wanted to help and serve the students and the community there.

Teacher Annalie has been teaching for 21 years but she spent most of those teaching years in Barangay Tuyom in Carcar City. It was only last year or in 2021 that she was transferred to Caraatan, a hillside sitio in Carcar City — the place that she dreamed about when she was in third year college.

Aside from using banana leaves as plates being an eco-friendly practice, it also helps the students to realize that one can be happy with just simple things. | Annalie Gantuangco

Teacher Annalie described in an interview with CDN Digital in 2021 that it was a challenge to get there since she had to climb two hills and cross a river to get to the school in the sitio.

However, she said she loved the school and the community there that going to the area was not really a chore for her.

This also showed when she built a classroom, which was needed in the school, using her own money and then eventually her friends and family chipped in to help fund the project.

With her love for the community and school children in Caraatan, it is no surprise that Teacher Annalie shares traits about how to look and live life to her students to prepare them to become better people in the future. 

RELATED STORIES

FACES OF CEBU : Annalie Gantuangco, 45, teacher

DepEd: No mandatory contributions to Christmas parties