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A
teacher’s teacher
by
ANGELA BLARDONY-URETA
(http://www.mb.com.ph/YNCP2004082316878.html)
It has been a full 20 years since Vivian A. Gonzales
stepped into the hallowed halls of the academe to
be an educator. For two decades, she joyfully pursued
her calling and in that inspired execution of her
work, her efforts were greatly rewarded.
Today,
she continues to be a messenger of hope and transformation
to hundreds of fellow teachers all over the Philippines,
particularly those engaged in values education. Her
message is simple but profoundly transforming: "Know
yourself. Then live with a sense of purpose.’’
This she undertakes as a reservist in the Philippine
Army, which begun when STET-VIP was adopted as a Civic
Welfare Service component of the expanded ROTC in
1996.
From
her first appoitnment as a young political science
lecturer at the State University, Dr. Gonzales rose
to the singular honor of becoming the first woman
dean of students of the University of the Philippines
in Los Banos in 1995 — a task she carried out
with courage and compassion for six years.
When
she took office, it was the heyday of frat wars, street
crimes, drugs and unwanted pregnancy. She was encumbered
by the twin responsibilities of ensuring the students’
well-being within and outside the campus. "A
teacher’s job doesn’t end when the classrooms
are empty. We are also concerned about the welfare
of the students when they leave the school premises,’’
she explains.
VALUE-DRIVEN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
To
respond to such challenges, Dr. Gonzales operationalized
the platform she presented as a nominee for the deanship.
Her Students’ Transformation and Enrichment for
Truth (STET) program envisioned developing young scholars
into ‘social entrepreneurs’’ serving
communities as valuedriven individuals.
"Education
is about the development of values and virtues. We
have grown up in a society where education dealt primarily
with technical learning and had little to do with
inner growth. I’ve seen intelligent students
get kicked out or dropped out of school simply because
they were in the wrong company. It was not enough
to say abolish the frats or be stricter. We have to
get to the root of the problem and help reaffirm their
values.’’
STET
advocates the development of 10 basic virtues: prudence,
justice, temperance, industry, fortitude, loyalty,
responsibility, cheerfulness, generosity and magnanimity.
These,
Dr. Gonzales believes, are the foundations for leadership.
Now adopted by over 500 universities, colleges and
technical/vocational schools nationwide, STET-Values
Integration and Promotion (STET-VIP) syllabus has
been recognized and endorsed by the Commission on
Higher Education as a civic welfare training service
(CWTS) component of the National Service Training
Program (NSTP).
Under
the program, , students can choose from a wide variety
of projects that involve environmental and natural
resources management, health, culture and the arts,
sports, entrepreneurship, community service and leadership
training. They are encouraged to conceptualize their
own, based on the needs of the area assigned to them.
"When
students are sent out into the communities, they are
touched by what they see. There is a sense of social
responsibility that is awakened in them, making them
want to give back to society."
In
her present appointment as Civic Welfare Training
Service Coordinator of UPLB, she handles 1,300 students
in her own campus while traveling all over the archipelago
to handle qualifying courses for fellow educators,
pro bono.
The
alumni of her courses have held two national conventions
and participated in the Kabalikat Awards, which recognizes
the top three VIP-CWTS/NSTP community projects at
the end of the academic year. Like last year’s
grand prize winner, Brent Hospital and Colleges Inc.
in Zamboanga, this year’s major winners came
from Mindanao, where school administrators and community
leaders are highly receptive to student-initiated
projects.
This
year’s Kabalikat Awards grand prize went to Notre
Dame of Kidapawan College, which responded to the
needs of the Manobo inhabitants of Andagkit Village
in Kidapawan. The silver trophy went to its sister
school, Notre Dame of Midsayap, for planting "fruit
trees for the future," holding weekend tutorials
for children, and putting up a sports clinic in Bulanan.
San Pedro College Davao took home the bronze trophy
for saving streetchildren from the menace of Davao
City’s streets.
Dr.
Gonzales is grateful for the selfless support her
family has extended towards her work. She reveals
how her husband provided the initial funding for her
first STET-VIP CWTS/NSTP trainors’ training in
May 2002, where they had to make a non-refundable
down payment for conference facilities, meals and
lodging even without any confirmed participant. When
the Qualifying Course opened, 85 came, including teachers
from the Visayas and Mindanao. Henceforth, alumni
took the initiative of organizing STET-VIP Qualifying
Courses in coordination with their school administrators,
giving birth to yet another Qualifying Course being
held in yet another region of the country.
WORK WITH TEACHERS
Working
closely with hundreds of fellow teachers from all
over the Philippines representing various ages, cultural
and economic backgrounds, has stirred in Dr. Gonzales
an even deeper appreciation of her colleagues in the
profession.
"The
common aspiration of teachers anywhere in the country
is to make a difference in the lives of the young
people put in their charge," she observes. "That
idealism is still there but it is already at risk
because teachers everywhere are struggling with little
pay and scant resources. Often, I encounter teachers
who attend the VIPCWTS course just to comply with
school requirements. Fortunately, at the end of the
workshop, there is always a noticeable change in their
attitude. Through the training, they find new meaning
in their profession — that the opportunity is
there for them to contribute to society in the daily
accomplishment of their job. They have the privilege,
as it were, ‘to become saints while doing ordinary
work.’"
"The
desire to serve and make a difference is in the heart
of every educator," she avers. "That is
one of the reasons why I do what I do. How can I turn
my back on the opportunity of helping fellow educators
transform their own attitudes and find something beautiful
from that experience? You can’t put a price tag
on that."
(For
more information on the VIPCWTS/NSTP Qualifying Course,
contact 09176215795 or e-mail: stetvip@strivefoundation.com)
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