Finding ways to love them more

It has been said that teachers are the second parents. Their functions do not isolate only in the four corners of their classroom, but even beyond it. They even spend their time, effort, and money just to provide both their learners’ scholastic and personal needs.

Gay D. Galdo, a SpEd teacher of Lambajon Central Elementary School–SpEd Center in the Division of Davao Oriental, is among those teachers who guided her learners at all times. She has learners who are physically challenged like partially blind and those with cleft lip among others.

As a teacher, she never set aside the desire to ameliorate the difficulty of her learners. As an initiative, she sought benefactors and charity foundations in the city which can support her advocacy program. She was lucky to have the positive responses from Free to Smile Foundation, Tebow Cure Hospital of Davao City, Mabuhay Deseret Foundation Incorporated, and MSWDO of Baganga.

Among the beneficiaries of her program is Eron D. Amolo who is now seeing lights and colors after nine years of being partially blind.

“Ma’am, nakita na taka! Ug ang blue nga twalya! (Ma’am, I see you now and the blue towel!),” he said right after his second operation on December 27, 2018 at Tagum Eye Hospital.

Eron’s father was hesitant to bring him to the hospital due to lack of financial resources.

“Wala man mi kwarta nga magasto para kaadto og Tagum sa operasyon ni Eron, pero gihatagan mi og kasiguradohan ni Ma’am Gay nga siya na ang mogasto sa tanan (We don’t have money to spend to go to Tagum for Eron’s operation, but Ma’am Gay gave us the assurance that she will shoulder all the expenses),” Rodolfo Amolo, his father, said in an interview.

Another learner who has benefitted from the program initiated by Ma’am Gay is Lucille Limente who has a cleft lip or palate. Because of her situation, she was then bullied by her classmates and schoolmates which was often the reason of her absences. But because of Ma’am Gay, everything that she only dreamed before has come into reality. Lucille said she never thought that she could eat a fried chicken now.

Aside from Eron and Lucille, there were other four learners with cleft lip or palate and two visually-impaired learners who have become beneficiaries of the program. Some of those scheduled operations and check-ups this year are put on hold due to COVID-19.

“I am thankful to God for choosing me as an instrument to help these children achieve the kind of life they are dreaming and wishing. I would like to extend my gratitude likewise to the charity foundations that have supported me along the way,” Ma’am Gay said.

Teachers like Ma’am Gay are rare and should be treasured for living the mission of uplifting not just the education system in her community, but in alleviating the situation of most of her SpEd learners who need care and love from a parent.

For Ma’am Gay who always finds a way, you are truly a hero. (By Mark Fil L. Tagsip with reports from Joyces Mae T. Arlalejo, & Marilou P. Masunag)

This is page 4 story of DepEd Davao Dispatch 3rd quarter issue