Dr. Josette Biyo:
Nothing is Impossible for the Filipino,
ergo, the Igorot
By Bernice Aquino
See
Sunday, 14th December 2003, was a historic day
for the iSagada in general and Saint Mary’s School [SMS] in particular. Amidst
the pine-clad chilly SMS quadrangle stood before the students, faculty and
community a woman who bested 4,000 teachers coming from all over the world to
win the “2002 Intel Excellence in Teaching Award”, the first Asian to win
since its inception in 1997.
What everybody does not know is that way back in April at
the 6th Grand Alumni Homecoming, Engr. Rufino Bomasang, Class ’58,
was telling the alumni that he met the best science teacher in the whole world,
they both having been speakers in the Ayala Young Leaders Congress last February
2003. She is a Filipina. Her name is Dr. Josette T. Biyo. In her honor, he
said, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory named a minor
planet between Mars and Jupiter in her name. He then said that if we have to
reclaim the glory of Saint Mary’s School as a premier educational institution,
then we have to get the best also, like this world class teacher, if not to
teach for a short period of time, then to impart her skills to SMS teachers.
He then said that he will try to find ways of bringing her over.
SMS went on to
be incorporated as an educational institution in September 17, 2003 as Saint
Mary’s School of Sagada, Inc. In November 2nd, the Board of
Trustees organized and voted their officers. Engr. Bomasang was elected as
chair unanimously. Before he accepted the position, Engr. Bomasang declared
that if the Board is going to be there just to maintain the status quo, then
he was not going to be a part of it. But if it is going to make a difference
in the lives of the students and community, then he is going to accept it.
Everyone who was present, both the members of the Board and alumni, declared
their commitment to work towards quality education for SMS. This made the raison
d’etre of incorporation and electing a Board clear. It was only then that Engr.
Bomasang, who incidentally is also the Chief Executive Officer of the
Philippine National Oil Corporation [PNOC], to accept the position .
In
mid-November, Engr. Bomasang passed around the inspiring speech of this woman
scientist teacher. He also mentioned that he has already sent Dr. Biyo an
invitation letter to consider serving the Cordillera indigenous youth at SMS.
In a few days, Dr. Biyo replied that before she commits anything, she would
like to visit Sagada first. She mentioned that she will be in Baguio on
December 13th for a speaking engagement. Later we came to know that
just after Dr. Biyo received Engr. Bomasang’s letter, she received the
invitation letter from Baguio. Serendipity being on our side, it was then
scheduled that she will come to Sagada on the 14th. Engr.
Bomasang brought her to us as promised.
SMS prepared a program for the visit, mobilizing the
students, faculty and the community. The highlight of the program was the
sharing of Br. Biyo on her trek to where she is now. In her sharing, she
mentioned that her becoming a teacher was a reason of poverty. When she
graduated from the Philippine Science High School Diliman campus, she took
up
Biology since she wanted to go into medicine. However, since they were eight
in the family, there was no way that she could take up medicine as her
father’s salary as a public school teacher was not enough to send her to medical
school.
Her story is inspiring because she said that we should not
be tied down with lack of facilities. Her first eight years of teaching in a
rural school under spartan conditions gave her opportunity to harness the
available resources both in school and in the community. This has been her
strength - being creative and innovative in the face of challenges. Lack of
facilities should not be seen as a problem but challenge. She also said that
constant search for knowledge and strategies should be the hallmarks of an
educator because of the dynamic world we are in.
‘My road to attaining this international recognition is a
very long 23 years of improving and harnessing my craft as a
teacher. I consistently study and learn new skills to improve my method
of teaching. I want my methods to be interesting, Relevant, and fun for
students. For just like any product, the measure of teaching success is
clientele satisfaction. “
Dr. Biyo came with her husband, Nonito. Mrs. Soledad Belingon,
a retired SMS teacher, remarked that Mr. Biyo must be very supportive of
Josette for the latter to be able to do the things she does. Mr. Biyo said that
what is important is for them to be happy. Josette added that actually, Nonito
is her unpaid research assistant, and as a matter of fact, Josette involves her
whole family in her researches. Their two children contribute to her researches
by participating in tasks that they can do. Her then 4-year old youngest son
took care of tagging her seaweed when she was monitoring the growth of seaweed
in one of her researches. The other son would monitor the tidal height. Her
husband would monitor her dives. Dr. Biyo’s success then is a family success.
To dispel snide remarks that commonly arises in success
stories like this, she said that the direction of her career is a choice she
made. Her growing up in a big family in the rural area, albeit in happy
nurturing environment, her experience in teaching in a public secondary school
in a poor rural area, her knowledge of the situation of teachers in the
country, and the opportunities for economic and professional advancement in the
big educational and research institutions here and abroad, has made Josette
choose to serve the Filipino people in general, and the underserved rural youth
in particular. Her family had to let go of a middle class home in order to cope
with such a choice, and live in a bamboo house “because it is what our money can
buy.” She mentioned how her children were heartbroken to leave their
comfortable home. Now, Josette and Nonito’s precious reward is in their
eldest son’s remark: “This house is not going to be sold ever.”
What has Dr. Biyo taught us? To teach is a vocation. To
choose to teach is to commit to be a student forever. To learn is to share.
Make a choice. When she encountered teachers who could not access opportunities
for improving their craft, she decided to see what she can do. She organized
her colleagues to undertake workshops on strategies and other special topics in
the Western Visayas region. Now this outreach program is reaching Mindanao. A
schedule this summer is now targetted for Mindanao. She networked in the
regional and national levels. In Engr. Bomasang’s letter, he asked Dr. Biyo
to come to Sagada to also serve the indigenous youth at SMS. After her visit,
she is ready to consider inserting time to come this summer to Sagada to conduct
a training on teaching science research which will integrate strategies.
With her stature now, she is using this opportunity to
share her life ands experiences in order to show people that our situation is
full of challenges which are actually opportunities to make a difference. What
inspires any listener is Dr. Biyo’s humbling experience of not being tied down
with titles and remuneration, but to help others make a positive difference in
other people’s lives.
“In winning this international award, I do not claim to be
the best teacher of the land. There are thousands of best teachers out
there, working silently, giving their hearts to teaching, without thinking of
benefits or rewards. I salute these teachers. In winning this award, I
believe I was just commissioned by somebody up there to deliver the message
that indeed, Filipino teachers can be world-class teachers. …I have shown to
my fellow Filipinos that they can be world-class if they choose to be. That
if we do our best, we can conquer the world.”
When asked why she is teaching high schoolers in a rural
area, she answered, “Who will teach them?” Dr. Biyo has a PhD in Biology. She
is not an education graduate but she has bested all the others in science
education.
In her talk before 2,500 teachers and potential teachers in
Baguio on December 13th, she said that actually she was the one who
was inspired by the speech of Cheryl Agdaca from Besao who ranked 10th in the
latest Licensure Exam for Teachers, who said, “God may have made the
universe so that each and everyone of us has a planet in our name. So when we
are down, we just look up and try to see our planet there.” Planet Biyo has
been named. Whose is next?
“Indeed, the human spirit has no limits. If you dream big,
and you have the Determination and the will to pursue your dream, it
will become a reality. I dreamt of making stars; I was given a planet.
Dr. Biyo is living the SMS motto: “ADI TAKO BOKODAN DI
GAWIS!” |
