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What teaches a teacher?

by Kassandra A. Buenafe, OfCom | Feb 07 2026

Architects of the future. A hero. The guiding light. These are some of the beautiful metaphors that often define the teaching profession. Indeed, there is something deeply meaningful and noble about helping shape the minds of a generation. 

But behind these grand recognitions is a reality often overlooked by many. Teachers in the Philippines carry a great deal of workload that cannot be simply subsumed into grandiloquent prose. Here’s a picture: classrooms not enough for large class sizes, apparent resource gaps in teaching materials, limited positions for career growth, emotional strains, burnout, and many more. More than all the beautiful and the great, a story of hard work and sacrifice persists. How does one know that they want to do this kind of vocation…despite?

For young Julieanne “Julie”  Briosos, dreams are something she did not often fathom. She was a carefree child who found it best to take life one day at a time. But at the time of writing this piece, Julie, 26 years of age and about to graduate in the 56th Commencement Exercises, 1st Semester Graduation with a degree in Master of Science Education in Secondary Mathematics, someone who lived with a certain kind of ease in life, made it her mission to be a Math teacher who teaches with compassion. 

In contrast to her easy-going demeanor when she was younger, Julie’s journey in her graduate studies was mostly defined by her surviving her anxiety and overthinking. When she had learned that she would not be graduating on time because of a mismanagement in the schedule of her thesis implementation, she knew there was nothing much she could do to change the situation. 

“Dapat ni-graduate nako 2024 pa pero I extended three more semesters. I was unable to implement my study, so I waited one year para mag implement because my lesson na dapat i-implement is for the fourth quarter na lesson; however, after a year, I was denied for implementation because I went in too late,” she shared in our interview. 

The only thing to do was wait, and in waiting, there is so much time and room to think. “Sige ko ug breakdown, kana bitaw makulbaan kay imong gibuhat basin sayop nasad or like ang process naay kulang; mag-overthink ka, ‘Hala what if ma-fail nasad ko’ kay na-decline naman gud ko once kay akong lesson plan kulang,” she further said.  

To test their theoretical knowledge in pedagogy and implement their proposed lesson plans, students from the College of Education are required to render teaching services in schools and apply what they have learned into practice. For undergraduates, this is a requirement in their on-the-job training or OJT. As a graduate student, Julie’s schedule was more hectic, demanding, and had more involvement on the ground compared to when she was in college. Julie had slowly grasped a fraction of the reality of teaching in the country. 

“Diba nag-masters ko, wala kaayo koy ma-feel during college kung unsa jud ang hinanaing sa mga teacher; ang imo makita as a student…na ok ra ilang life, magtudlo ra sila, pero pag abot nakog masters narealize nako…ako mga classmates kay mga teachers na, then if masters ka muagi ka ug tudlo pod, naa kay subjects na ipaadto ka ani na school magtudlo ka. Didto ko naka-[realize] na ‘wow ingon ani diay’ basta mag-share akong classmates,” Julie explained. Although she had less work experience than her peers, she understood that the path ahead was nothing short of taxing.

It’s one thing to hear about it, but another to see it for yourself. When she finally had more exposure in the field of teaching, Julie saw firsthand the aches caused by a system that fails to look at what needs to be prioritized. “Naka-experience naman gud ko muadtog public [school], luoy kaayo ang mga teacher kay sila pa ang maningkamot para ma-better ang classroom kay naay mga chair na gubaon then mag-panday pa labi nag naay event, ilaha pang own money. Dili lang sila kay mag-teach, performer pod sila, karpentero pod sila. All around jud ang teacher, daghan kaayo sila ug buhaton pero ilang pay dili on par sa mga doctors, for example,” she shared. 

There is wisdom earned in time and in becoming. Julie knew that being a teacher is a calling not meant for everyone, but only for those who understood exactly what can be lost and, more importantly, what can be gained. 

“I could not imagine myself doing something else. When I was in high school, I did not know what to take in college. Not until I have a teacher na maayo kaayo mag-teach. I’m not a fan of Math gyud, but because of this teacher, mas na ganahan ko mag-answer ug Math. He made Math easy. He inspired me to be like him,” she answered when asked the big why. 

“The reason na nag teacher ko kay na-inspire ko. So, when I finally teach, how can I inspire my students na maminaw sila?” Julie said.

“While nag-implement ko, ayus kaayo sa feeling,” she expressed, pausing in between her words as she began to feel emotional looking back. As she was heading to this interview, she had a heartfelt encounter with the students, who were in high school then, at the school where she conducted her graduate thesis, and finally in college, still warm and friendly towards her. 

A classroom filled with fun, patience, and acceptance– this is the kind of environment Julie hopes to build when she finally lands a teaching job. “Lipay lipay with all the activities, dili lng pod pirmi magkatawa, but most of the time, interactive na class. Mao na ang gina-encourage sa amoa–not just ang traditional teaching but create activities na makalihok pod sila. Focus is on students' outcomes jud,” she explained.

Having to teach a dreaded subject means having to come up with ways that will not only make the learning digestible for students but also something they want to look forward to. To Julie, this is the biggest challenge, “Unsaon nako na maganahan sila sa gitudlo especially kay Math na subject, which is very hard, na wa pa gani sila kapaminaw kapoyon na sila?”

“Balik-balikon jud nako ug tudlo because practice makes perfect. Kani na topic if daghan wala pa kasabot, balik, bahalag same questions. We ask unsa ang wala nasabtan, show them the kind of process na makasabot sila,” she shared. For her, understanding does not come from pressure but from reassurance and letting students know that it is okay to struggle and that learning, especially in Math, is a process that takes time.

“A great educator is someone who not only teaches knowledge but also inspires, supports, and empowers students to grow academically, emotionally, and as individuals,” she said. 

What teaches a teacher is rarely found in textbooks alone. Inspired by a teacher who once saw potential in her, Julie chose the same path, now hoping to become the kind of educator who inspires others in return. Truth be told, teaching does not make one rich in money, nor does it have much of a spectacle, but the true currency of its success comes from the abundance of hope, laughter, and inspiration.

“I would like to thank my teacher from the bottom of my heart, who has been my greatest inspiration to take this path. Because of you, I didn’t just learn Math, I learned to love it, to teach it, and to believe that I, too, could inspire others the way you inspired me. Thank you for being a mentor, a motivator, and a true educator. I will always carry your influence with me as I continue this journey as a Math teacher,” her words for the one person who helped her realize her dream. 

In a world that sometimes does not seem to hold space for our own existence, a teacher’s encouragement tells us that we can be so much more than the smallness we perceive of ourselves. 

“I am ready for this calling,” Julie affirmed.

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