SAN ISIDRO, NUEVA ECIJA - Young teacher Maritess Mendoza has 90 students, aged between 13 and 64 years, in nine villages in San Isidro town in Nueva Ecija. She travels every week to meet them and deliver fresh lessons about math, society and life.
Her classrooms are often barangay halls or the shade of a mango tree, but Mendoza said she does not pay much heed to these little difficulties.
Mendoza, 24, is a mobile teacher working under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of the Department of Education (DepEd) in the school district in San Isidro. The program has been receiving the support of Mayor Sonia Lorenzo, who put up the ALS in communities that offer life and livelihood tutorials.
“I like this job. This is what my heart says I shall do. I like to help them and it makes me fulfilled as a teacher and as a responsive person,” Mendoza said.
Many of her students are out-of-school youth who have sought redemption by resuming lessons long forgotten.
“I have a student who did not finish Grade 1. She is 34, with a family, but is very eager to learn and is hoping to be in higher grade after taking the equivalency test,” Mendoza said.
Her oldest is a 64-year-old man, who she described as “having the enthusiasm of a young man [who wants] to add some more to his stock of knowledge.”
This student is running for a local elective post, but Mendoza declined to identify him.
“I also have six students who are earning a living by buying and selling scrap iron and other discarded materials. They dropped out of [grade] school … because their families were poor,” Mendoza said.
Inspired
She takes pride in having attracted and inspired as her schooling wards four rape victims.
“At first, they were aloof and untrusting of others, particularly men. But they [are now able to] confide even their closest secrets. They are enthusiastic learners,” she said.
“Is that not beautiful? They felt [a teacher like myself is not] an enemy but a friend who understands them and helps them rise in life,” she added.
Mendoza finished her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education (BSEd) at the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) in 2004, after paying her way through summer jobs.
“We are four in the family and my parents could not afford to send us to higher education. My earnings during summer helped me pay for my tuition and other expenses,” she said.
Alternative learning
One such job required her to conduct surveys, which helped introduce her to alternative learning styles.
Mendoza said her day as a mobile teacher starts by commuting to the villages where she is scheduled to hold school. She takes with her a lesson plan, a small white board, and paper and pencils for her students.
“I bring the school to them,” she said.
What greet her each time are students sitting on borrowed chairs, blocks of wood or concrete. At noon, they all sit side by side to eat their packed lunch.
“We don’t have the regular subjects of the school system. What we have are learning strands,” Mendoza said.
Students interact on subjects like Kasanayang Pangkomunikasyon sa Pilipino (Communication Skills in Filipino), basic English, math and science, and discuss broad topics dealing with respect, nonviolent resolutions to conflicts, and global awareness.
Despite the age disparity, her students relate well with one another.
After 10 months, these students will take the ALS accreditation and equivalency examination to determine the school level they had absorbed from these interactions.
Since 2007, 46 of Mendoza’s students have completed the equivalent of elementary and high school education.
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