05/10/2026
๐ท๐๐๐
๐ ๐ต๐: ๐ญ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐จ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ต๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐
โPwede na. Pwede naka mangapply sa DepEd.โ
Those were the words Maโam Padernal told me after my final student teaching demonstration. I smiled when I heard them, but deep inside, those words meant so much more than I could explain at that moment.
โPwede na.โ
Two simple words that somehow made me remember the student I used to beโthe student who once dreamed of becoming a physical therapist, who once entered a different path, and who eventually found himself standing in front of a classroom, holding a lesson plan and preparing to become a teacher.
My journey to Education was not something I perfectly planned from the beginning. I once pursued Physical Therapy because I wanted to help people. But circumstances, particularly financial realities, eventually led me to make one of the most difficult decisions I had to make: to leave that path and pursue Education instead.
At first, shifting felt like starting over. But somewhere along the journey, I realized that perhaps I was not starting over at all. I was simply being redirected. I used to think that helping people heal meant working in a healthcare setting. Education taught me that healing can also happen through words, understanding, encouragement, and opportunity. A teacher may not treat a physical injury, but a teacher can help heal a learner's doubt, build confidence, awaken curiosity, and give someone the courage to believe that they are capable of more.
That realization became even clearer during my student teaching experience. I learned that teaching is not simply about standing in front of a classroom and delivering a lesson. It is about noticing the student who remains quiet. It is about encouraging the learner who is afraid to answer. It is about making space for those who feel that their voice does not matter. And sometimes, it is simply telling a learner, through our actions, โI believe you can.โ
This is also why my literacy advocacy, โBASA PARA SA PAG-ASA: READ TODAY, LEAD TOMORROW,โ became deeply meaningful to me. I came to understand that literacy is not only about reading words. It is about giving learners the ability to understand the world, express themselves, make informed choices, and imagine a future beyond what they currently see. When we teach someone to read, we give them more than a skill. We give them access, to knowledge, to confidence, to opportunities, and to possibilities.
So, to those who dream of becoming teachers, I want you to know this: You do not have to have everything figured out. Your journey may not look like the journey you originally imagined. You may change program. You may encounter financial struggles. You may fail. You may doubt yourself. You may even wonder if you are still on the right path. But a different path does not necessarily mean a wrong path. Sometimes, the path you did not plan becomes the path that reveals who you are meant to become.
My journey from a Physical Therapy student to an aspiring teacher taught me that purpose is not always found where we first look for it. Sometimes, we discover it only after we are brave enough to begin again.
And now, after all the demonstrations, lesson plans, criticisms, revisions, classroom experiences, and moments of doubt, hearing Maโam Padernal say,โPwede na. Pwede naka mangapply sa DepEd.โ felt like more than an evaluation. It felt like a quiet affirmation: You made it this far. Now, go serve.
But I also know that becoming a teacher is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a lifetime of learning, serving, and becoming better for our learners. So if you are still dreaming of becoming an educator, keep going. Your journey may be difficult. Your path may change. Your destination may look different from what you first imagined. But do not be afraid of beginning again. Because sometimes, the greatest purpose we discover in life is waiting on the other side of the path we never intended to take. And when the day finally comes when you stand before your own learners, I hope you remember why you chose to stay.
Teach not because you know everything, but because you believe every learner can become something more.
Teach with purpose.
Serve with heart.
Believe in your learners.
And never forget the reason you started.
Because perhaps one day, another aspiring teacher will hear the words: โPwede na.โ And they will realize that all the struggles were never wasted. They were preparing them for the teacher they were always becoming.
A message from one of our ๐ฉ๐บ๐ฌ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฝ student teachers, whose journey reminds us that becoming an educator does not always begin with a perfectly planned dream. Sometimes, it begins with a change of directionโand the courage to keep walking until we discover our purpose.
