Why our Hearts are Blue

Metrobank Outstanding Filipino awardee and Quezon City’s Transformative Educator Sab Ongkiko (BS Biology 2005) shares how Ateneo has shaped her into the kind of public school teacher she is today.

For me, choosing a university was like choosing the kind of environment where you would plant yourself for four (or more) years. I did not just want to learn but I wanted to grow as a person.  Choosing Ateneo meant that I would not just enjoy the tranquil environment of the campus and the good facilities, nor the tutelage of the best professors, but also experience being formed to excel so I could give more of myself to others. For me, that was the kind of life that Ateneo was offering – a life that’s meaningful because it’s lived for others and God.

Ateneo developed a social conscience in me– a conscience that will indeed bug you if you don’t do something to help others or society. The kind of formation I got from Ateneo is also the kind of culture I am trying to build now in my classroom and the way I interact with my students. Some of my students discuss how they can help others and create projects to serve their communities. They think deeply and critically about issues. They reflect on leadership – the kind of leader they want to become and the kind of leader that our country needs. When I was at the point of quitting, it was my former students who helped me discern (and they’re in high school!)

 I was trained in Ateneo to reflect, analyze, and communicate and that’s what I use to advocate for people to take part in making our education system better. I know that being an Atenean, no matter what my background was, when I graduate, I become part of an “academic elite.” As a public school teacher who graduated from Ateneo, I acknowledge that being an Atenean gave me access to opportunities, social networks, platforms, and a supportive community. This has given me a sense of discomfort knowing that even though my co-teachers and I are all public school teachers − wearing the same uniform, fulfilling the same responsibilities, going through the same challenges − some things come easier for me because of Ateneo. This discomfort was echoed by my co-teacher, who asked me, “Kung di ka Atenista, mapapansin ka kaya? Kasi ang nanay ko 30 years nagturo, magaling din siya pero di siya napansin tulad mo.”

 I’m glad she asked because it made me reflect on what it means to have an Ateneo education. As Ateneans, we are given an excellent, quality education and are trained to lead and excel. This culture of excellence made Ateneans rise from the ranks and become leaders in their fields but we are also called to go “down the hill.” My students taught me what that really means − that excellence is not just rising and being on top but it’s going down to help others up. In our class, when we’re okay, when we understand the lesson and get good grades, it’s our responsibility to look around and check if others are okay too. If not, we help them. Because of this, the whole class succeeds.

That’s the call of Ateneo: to choose to become persons for and with others. What do you do when there’s inequality but in this case, you get to have the better end of the stick? Public school teachers and students also deserve the same opportunities, the platform to speak, the same acknowledgment and affirmation. I do not claim to know better and be better because I’m an Atenean. Most of the time, I learn a lot from the people around me. I know teachers and students who have better stories and are more inspiring.

 But what do I do with the opportunities I’m given so that the system gets better? How do I use my network to elevate our profession and bring my co-teachers and students with me, so they are offered the same things and more? What should we work on together so that education really becomes a right and not a privilege?

As an Atenean, I carry these questions with me. Maybe that’s why our Atenean heart is blue − because we carry this load of responsibility with us. Being human, being Filipino goes beyond just our work, but with what we have been given, we make sure to use that to make the lives of the people around us better.