Wednesday, May 30, 2007 MOPSTA: A decade of honoring extraordinary mentors By Danilo V. Adorador III
"Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they accomplish this impossible task." --Haim G. Ginott.
IN TEACHING you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for 20 years, says Jacques Barzun, a French-born American scholar and teacher.
For "ma'am" Catalina O. Sabud, however, 15 years of teaching elementary pupils in Camiguin has been unexpectedly fruitful: She won the search for Most Outstanding Public School Teachers Awards (Mopsta) for 2007.
The Rotary Club of West Cagayan de Oro, which spearheads the awards, found teacher Catalina in a small, serene town of Catarman in the island-province of Camiguin, where she advises a grade-school section.
The Rotarian-evaluators found in her the qualities the MOPSTA was searching from an outstanding mentor: an impeccable character, academic competence, excellent professional attainment and community involvement. She also satisfied the jury during the classroom demonstration and on the interview.
Teacher Catalina was honored in an awarding ceremony Monday, together with five finalists and five other semi-finalists who also received plaques and cash. The grand prize winner received P40,000 and a computer prize to be used by her school.
PP Adrian "Loloy" Pabayo, Mospta chairman, avers a thing or two about teaching, in a speech before the awarding ceremony.
Himself a teacher, "Loloy" says teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions, which reminds all Donald D. Quinn's thoughts about the teaching profession:
"If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble, and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the classroom teacher's job."
Recognizing the ordeals of the teaching profession, teacher Catalina remains in a fighting form in her speech:
"The awards I have just received symbolizes victory amidst all the pains and joys in teaching. Yes, teaching, the professional I chose to become -- the professional I consider the noblest of all."
Eloquently, she adds: "As a teacher, I care for the young school children. I nurture their dreams, I influence them and I affect their lives. In the classroom, I am a mother and a friend; I a m a provider, a nurse, a doctor and a counselor."
Rotary West President Eileen San Juan leads the Rotarians who travel all the way to the Misamis Oriental town of Initao, where the awarding was held.
PAG Rhia Abalos, PP Roger Uy, PP Dong Babaylan and Rotarians Lut Nolasco, Del Gaylo, Bong Cababat, Liezl Deloso, Roy Villaro and Mandy Tarayao attended the awarding ceremony.
Mopsta is sponsored by the heirs of the late Mayor Justiniano Borja, through the Gigi Borja Endowment Fund, SOTELCO through PDG Jun Nolasco and Rtn. Lutt Nolasco, PDG Joe Nebrao, Rtn. Del Gaylo, Rtn. Denvi Cabrera, Global Chips Technologies Inc. through Rotarian William Malagar, the family of Luneta Dayta-Abellanosa thrugh Rotarian Emmanuel Abellanosa and the Rotary West CDO Foundation.
MOPSTA, now on its 10th year, is under the Rotary Club of West CDO Vocational Service, headed by Rotarian Mandy Tarayao.
