Reflection: On Return of Investment by Sabsy Ongkiko

“My Dear Students, studying is fun; learning is joy. Even when you tell me you don’t want to go on, that it’s too hard, you can’t do it, I still see that spark in your eyes when we marveled at the beauty of the solar system, when you inquired why typhoons come to be, when you found out how plants ‘eat’. "“I don’t think you really wish to stop learning. That spark in your eyes tells me you enjoy it. I’m sure you see the same spark in my eyes, for at that moment I learned something new about you too."

Ateneo graduate Sabrina Ongkiko, 27, teaches at a public school in a lower-class district of Quezon City. From her students she learns of return on investments in them. Before leaving for a study grant in Melbourne, she gave a talk at her alma mater, organized by TEDx last February, 2013.

              "The task of a modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts." - a quote from C.S Lewis, British novelist, poet, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian, broadcaster, lecturer, and Christian apologist that's inspired from the teachers all over the world who continues to educate children of various races and status in life. Teaching is about pouring knowledge and empowering growth to the youth and not making them stop to grow and improve. It is indeed a great responsibility becoming a teacher because one must take the task of creating competent and knowledgeable professionals in the future. The classrooms is where dreams of the young starts, and we all need that teacher who'll continue to motivate us no matter what.
         Sabrina Ongkiko (also known as Sabsy) is an epitome of selflessness. As for others, she has parents that can support her financially and who graduated from one of the prestigious schools for teacher education in the country, it is most likely that she would choose to be hired in  private schools or continue her dream being a doctor as what the interviewer from DepEd told her. She did not let those people including her parents and former teachers influence her to decide but instead, she chose to teach in a low-class public elementary school with crowded classes and students from the poor urban communities of the city. I salute her for showing her passion and dedication in educating the students especially her choice of teaching in a public school. Public schools were said to be where the students of the most poor families study and where less teaching resources and less facilities are found hence, she found hope in that place- a hope in the eyes of her students that one day these kids can make a difference to the nation, and a hope that she'll be an inspiration to everyone who'll continue to choose the path of being in public schools where most wouldn't agree. I liked ho she inspired me to choose teaching in public schools after I graduate. It had always been on top of my list to go abroad and work with my mom as a teacher, too but, all that changed after I realize the reality of our country. Philippines needs more teachers than other countries do and teachers still have a duty to fulfill and a future of a child to work on.
          Does it really matter for a student in a pre-teaching course to be aware of all this? For me, yes. Eventhough these students have not yet graduated the course, everyone of us needs to know about this, the reality and the truth about the public schools these days and how a future teacher can help the youth and make them a more knowledgeable and skilled person to the world. Truly, a teacher can take a hand, open a mind and touch a heart of every student a he/she will ever have but to the world, you may just be a teacher, we should always aim to be the "hero" every child can have.