My Teacher, My Hero: Going Beyond Education

Another one of my winning pieces. This was during the International Teachers' Day Celebration, October 2010. :)

From the humble beginnings of our fruitful lives, there has been a certain kind of person guiding us towards the brighter future that we have all yearned for since childhood. This person is and will always be a part of our existence while we live on earth. And this being, so blessed with knowledge and wisdom, is our teacher.

When we first took our first steps, spoke our first words, and began to see and understand the environment we were in, were we alone? Did we teach ourselves these things? The answer to these questions is definitely a NO. Our parents, our very first teachers, were there to give us the initial guidance in order for us to perform such activities.

The basic definition of a teacher can easily be derived from the statement above, which clearly says that a teacher is "one who passes down general knowledge acceptable in our modern society to the younger generations." Though this holds true throughout the world, a teacher is definitely a lot more than a walking encyclopedia. They are, in essence, our stepping-stones in becoming the ideal citizens that may be able to help shape the future of our world. And not only do they share what they know, they also mold our characters and enhance our perception of the things around us. This, I believe is what a teacher really is.

In films or movies, we often hear the expressions "Oh! My Hero!" or "You're my Saviour!" These lines are often directed to those who have impeccable strength to have incredible abilities that are beyond human capability. Many consider them heroes because their prowess and will to help those who are in dire need. But, despite all of that, people still speak of the "mysterious warriors" or the "silent heroes". This makes you wonder what really makes a person or a being a hero.

When we see an image of Superman, Spiderman and other fictional characters shaped by human imagination, we remember the expressions mentioned earlier. But did you ever stop thinking if these words were also spoken to a teacher? Sadly though, we seldom think of teachers as more than what they are. You might ask, "How, in Heaven's name, can we consider a teacher a hero despite the fact that there is nothing special, like amazing capabilities about them?"

Teachers give almost all of their time for their students and often don't have time to think about themselves. They sacrifice their own personal goals. They offer their strength. They devote almost their whole lives for the welfare and benefit of those who depend on them for two things considered valuable in our lives: Knowledge and Wisdom. Isn't this what being a hero is all about? They save us from the major problems that are affecting our society today with what they impart on us. They go beyond education to offer us something that not many people can give: the will to make a choice before we do something in our lives that may affect us in a positive or negative way. With this, they create in us, heroes as well. It's like creating a sculpture from the clay of another sculpture.

"Great power comes great responsibility" so goes the adage. We often hear of this many times over, it is undoubtedly affirmed in the teacher-hero situation. Only, this time, they don't have that much great power, but they do have a great responsibility. That is, to go beyond the confines of education and to create heroes from heroes.

Astronomy: A Pivotal Step in Nation Building

This was my essay during the National Astronomy Week in the Philippines, which was held at the Rizal Technological University. It won first place. My father established the first astronomy course in the country, and is now the president of the university. I'm a proud daughter, alright. :)

“Astronomy is the study of celestial bodies.” This is, and always has been, the most widely used and accepted definition of this science. When this is taught to the public, the general idea that they get about astronomy is that its purpose is to merely acquire information about the objects that exist in our Universe. Though this fact holds true, astronomy helps us, whether as individuals or a whole nation, in more ways than we can imagine.

The Philippines has experienced wars and being colonized in its past. And although we have been set free from their chains, our country is still in need of nation building. Astronomy is one of the many keys in achieving this. With the number of astronomers rising, our government cannot always allow them buy the telescopes and equipment that they need in their observations from foreign investors. Sooner or later, local establishments should be set up in manufacturing astronomical equipment. This will help the economy in one way or another, especially when foreign countries start importing what our country has manufactured.

On a global scale, which also affects individual nations, our world is facing environmental problems that can lead to the death of our Earth. Though Astronomy may yet prove to have the solution, it provides us with the knowledge that, with our current inability to seek further into our Universe, we have only one planet. Knowing this, people will soon start to realize that unity is needed in preserving our planet; turning the nation’s chaos into order.

In the words of the writer Og Mandino, “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” We must remember that simply knowing that there are stars in the sky, we already know a small thing about astronomy. And when our nation seems to fall into darkness, we look at those stars and there we find hope; hope that someday, not only will we reach those points of light in the sky, we will climb the highest peak of the country’s development.