A Teacher Trainer

Even before Mr. Canonigo was promoted to Master Teacher, he has shown a potential
as a teacher to both students and other teachers. He started to get involved in
teacher training at DepEd-Ormoc City Division. He later became a trainer in the
national training of teachers in mathematics, mentor training program, among others.
Moreover, he initiated a one-week training program for secondary and elementary
teachers in his hometown in coordination with the local government and invited well-
known personalities in the field of education to be with him in this program. At the
training he met his elementary and high school teachers who were very proud to see
him as their trainer.

Aside from teacher-training, Mr. Canonigo has also taught in a graduate school where
he handled courses for teachers who were taking their graduate studies in mathematics
education.

Through the years, his passion for helping other teachers has been evident in his active
and continued participation in different teacher training programs.

At present, Mr. Canonigo engages in part-time teaching in one of the universities in

Manila. However, he knows that he will be permanently back in front of a class, teaching,
until his last breath.

Mohana Ratnam-Eswaran
Transforming People’s Lives,
Inside and Beyond the Classroom

“I just sat there, and I just looked at them, and I said

it’s worth the time and effort that I have actually spent
because I could have just stopped at the classroom level,
but I didn’t.”

I have been a teacher for 21 years and I never really envisioned myself being one when
I was a child. As an adventurous kid, I was hooked on aircraft back then. I then set my
mind that I would be an aircraft engineer in the future. However, my mother did not
approve of my ambition. Being the stereotypical Indian mother, she said that I should
pursue a career which is outnumbered by women—like being a teacher.The next thing
I knew, I was married to a man from the air forces and I was in front of my students
teaching about logarithms.

28 Passion for Teaching

 Like Being a Ms. Universe... Even better!

Throughout my existence, I have been dreaming of going to the Istana, the official
residence of the Singaporean President. Like any other presidential residence, it has
tight security and anyone cannot easily enter it.

This dream finally came true in 2010 when I received the President’s Award for
Teachers (PATs) with the theme: Teachers who are Leading, Caring, and Inspiring. It
was magical! It was as if the whole world was conspiring with me and that I won the
Ms. Universe title. In fact, it could be even better!

In the latter part of 2009, I was informed by our Vice Principal that she had nominated
me for the award. I was shocked and flattered at the same time. I was confused why
she nominated me when in fact, there were a lot of commendable teachers in the
school. I have always been the silent worker that I am and I did not ever expect that I
would be recognized for my efforts.

After knowing about the nomination, I continued living my life as if nothing happened. I
did not expect that I would get it since there were 9,700 nominees for the award and
only four would be chosen. There was a very slim possibility that I would be among
the four to bring home the bacon. The probability of winning was even smaller than
that of winning the lottery!

However, I was later informed that I was short listed.They asked me to write an article
about being an educator, so I made one and did not make much of a big deal out of it.
Being shortlisted was already an honor; I did not ask for more. But, still, God kept on
blessing me, and I was later asked to come in for an interview.

While preparing, I felt that everybody was supporting me. I felt so loved, even through
the simple words of encouragement from a sales lady and a hair dresser, whom I barely
knew. My husband also did not leave my side as I was preparing for the interview.

During the interview proper, surprisingly, I was not nervous because I came there not
to bring home the award but for the learning experience that I could later share to
my students—bringing home the award was just a plus. Upon reading the invitation for
the interview, I realized that it has been a long time since I was interviewed and that I
need to teach my students to be prepared for such occasions.

In a span of a week’s time, I received a congratulatory e-mail from the Ministry of

Education (MOE) informing me that I was one of the four winners of the award!
Congratulatory notes and calls came in from various people. I felt like I was on top of
the world as everybody rejoiced with me. I consider it not as my individual achievement,
but the achievement of the people around me as well—my family, my colleagues, and
my students.

Later on, we went to the Istana for the awarding. I was elegantly dressed. Being a very
simple person, who is not used to putting on makeup, I had to look at my best during

34 Passion for Teaching

the ceremony. Everyone praised me for looking good. I even thought that I look like a
princess—and I felt like one too!

During the ceremony, it was ecstatic. My family was there. My mother was very proud
of me as she was in tears. I had the chance to meet big time people in the country
who I never dreamt of being with. It was one of the greatest moments of my life and I
was very happy that I was able to inspire many co-teachers to give their best in their
respective deliverables—even if it means going beyond their comfort zones. Besides
the plaque, monetary awards were also given to us, the awardees, as well as a study
tour to Germany to be able to benchmark best practices.

After receiving the award, my life changed in the sense that there were lots of
opportunities to share my experiences and the lessons I have learned as a teacher. I
was invited to talk several times in schools, in communities, and to teachers. Through
this, I was not just able to touch the lives of my students but other students, teachers,
and parents as well.

Being a teacher is not just being a teacher—but it entails being a mother, a friend, an
explorer, and an inspiration to your students. I honestly could not imagine myself in
another profession, but if I were not a teacher, I would probably be a motivational
speaker or a trainer—a profession similar to being a teacher who connects and
changes the lives of people. Changing lives for the better is my passion and no one can
stop me from doing it!

Passion for Teaching 35