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Monday, January 23, 2006
Dr. Josette Biyo: She dreamt of stars and got a planet
By Kathy Villalon Cinco
"I dreamt of stars. I got a planet."
This phrase was taken from the cover of "A Trip to Planet Biyo", by multi-awarded educator Dr. Josette Talamera Biyo, which will be launched on Thursday at Robinsons Place Iloilo at 4 p.m.
Who could not forget the explorer and teacher who has inspired many and showed to the world that even if we are from a Third World country, through training and support, we can soar to great heights and be at par with people from developed nations?
She's the first Asian to bag the Intel Excellence Teaching Award in 2002, besting 4,000 other participants from different countries. Despite problems with her visa and had to borrow a notebook computer from the United States delegates, she impressed everybody with her presentation.
"I showed them how I taught science research in high school and that my style was different --- I do not use sophisticated technology. They saw that my students were able to come up with excellent research outputs. I told them that nature is my laboratory and whatever output we had were given back to the community," Biyo told members of the media. A teacher of Philippine Science High School here in Iloilo, Biyo continues to share her methods with other schools by holding seminars and workshops for teachers.
After winning in the Intel award, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT's) Lincoln Laboratory named a minor planet after her. Planet Biyo is nine kilometers in diameter and is located at the belt between Mars and Jupiter.
She said she was able to share information about the planet being named after her, only to her very supportive husband, Nonito Biyo. "But later on, I said why should I keep this information to myself? So I photocopied the MIT certificate and posted it on our bulletin board. Coincidentally, Dr. Alabastre of the Department of Education (DepEd) and media persons passed by and read it. I was an instant celebrity."
The book
The above revelations were also written in her 160-page book, which has three parts.
The first part is a journey of Dr. Biyo's elementary days until she became a teacher.
The second part is about her travels abroad. After her Intel feat, she was invited to several speaking engagements not only here in the country but in other parts of the world.
In this chapter, she stated that people would often ask her why despite invitations to work abroad and a Ph.D in Biology, she opted to teach here. She would say, "Who would teach these kids?
Biyo, who earns less than $300 a month, admitted that every time she gets such invitations, she would think, "Am I depriving my kids a better life if I don't accept these jobs abroad?"
"But then, I have no desire to do so because I was meant to be here," she said.
The third part contains testimonies from people who were touched by Dr. Biyo's messages. There was one letter from her students who begged her not to accept the directorship of their school, Philippine Science High School. Their reason --- she's a wonderful teacher and it would be a loss if she gets promoted to an administrative position.
Another was a testimony from the organizer of the San Miguel Corporation's Best Practices Forum, which revealed that after Dr. Biyo's speech, the audience was never the same again.
Her book's so impressive that even former President Corazon Aquino has a copy and Jose Cuisia, former Central Bank executive, ordered several for his staff.
The writer was able to read this book and it tells of heartwarming instances that conveyed that these lessons --- hard work, patience, striving to learn new things, sharing one's blessings, trust in God and living within one's means --- are the secrets to success in life.
Divine intervention
Dr. Biyo considers the book as a divine intervention. "I finished this in just a matter of 40 days," she said.
"This book will make people aware that teaching is a noble profession; aims to bring back the dignity of the teaching profession; and to inspire Filipinos to try their best to reach their own stars. Then we can have a Pinoy Galaxy," she said.
Dr. Biyo revealed that she plans to write another book, which tells a story on how "Trip to Planet Biyo" came about.
Dr. Biyo has achieved so much not only for herself but for Filipinos. Is there something she needs to achieve more? "I want to be an effective teacher, so I strive to learn new things everyday."
As for her plans for Planet Biyo, "I don't intend to sell it. I intend to keep the good name of the planet."
(January 23, 2006 issue)
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