My most unforgettable teacher

Title

Language

English

Year

1947

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

.. _ ~~~~·= M=y=M= _ =o=st=U=n=. f= · o=rg=e=t=ta=b=le=T=ea=c=h=e=r;;;;;;;;;;;;;;! ,_ By PURA SANTILLAN-CASTRENCE , I have two most unfore;ett;lble ·teach- thick-headed to understand my simple ers, my professor in Italian in college, explanations, and there would flash in now the President of the Boston Univ- my mind the picture of the dear figure ersity, and a newspaperman with whom of Professor Merlino, kind, gray eyes, I used (o work, who is now in a Wash- strong, squat form, big, powerful hands, ingto~ government office, after a sue- but mostly the eyes, coaxing me out of ·cessful war:career as a major. Both of my timidity, making me ieel i~portant, them have given me part of themselve$, showing...me that I was just as good as and every decision I make now,· every any white boy or girl. .worthwhile thought .that flashes in my You would say that my reason there mind would not be quite that decision or for idealizing this great teacher was that thought had I never known Pro- strictly personal. That is because you fessor Camillo P. Merlino or Nat C. do not know Professor Merlino. I was Floyd. only one i:-~dividual student: But fo·r him Curiously enough, or perhaps ·u is to each of us was an individual student to "' be expected, in the most fundamental be dealt with diff..erently from tbe rest, vafues, the two anen have the same prin- to be shown special attention, to be eilciples. For that matter these self-same co~raged atcording to him own particu.Pr!ru;iQie..L_had been inculcated in their Jar need, pers~nalit:9' antl· tempCTament children by -n;y. fatllei, wh"on1 T:iilore-d;- "'f· sirrcereiy -believe -that -a-nu~Lmy and my. mother, who Is still very much classmates in that Italian class would ., q:r ~· d~eamer. The·re is ·only, ·after all, write of Professor 14rlino , were. the one abt~ltJte value for"hone5ty and good- editot of the Philippine Educator to ask ""~esi be the evaluator Italian, American them, as he "asked·me; to tell his rea'ders · ;r t'iliplt\0. w:h·o was . tlieit ·Most " Unforgetta~e llut more than honesty, more than ."'reacher. ~iioodne~s even for ll'tany people are still For this beloved teacher· had the' !'it" ,. honeSt and good· in· this war calloused in teaching 'technique. •:He· ..drew the. bett w·orla, Professor Merlino taught me the out of you, beca·use, God -!:)less :the man, importance of ~indness in a teacher, of ·" he expected only ilie :best. • Why .:J.Vo1:1ld ·· lntlnite patience, strict self-discipline. · you not be e)dra~carefUl 'in ·;, preparing '· ' ·r \vas 'Die " only Filipitrb· in the class. your lesson in Renais~i~ce Italy .lit~ ··rt\ a land of prejudices such as Am·erica, t.t.J.re if .the ·professor; , told you every so for all ber excellent qualities, still is, "1Jrfer -liow-:g)ad he was that h~ h~d ,you P~ofessor Merlino 'would single ·me o-ut itl'-h"is class, or .if he too~ .~ime to drink for what he insisted was my excellent tea with you so that he -could talk itapronunciation in Italian, or for this -a,nd lia·n: to you and tell you·· -of · the io~ely · that about my interpretation of Dante or country from which his .ancestors came? Cellini or Fetrach. I know now, ia all Tlie next tea-hour .you would see him humility, that the encomiums were little .at your classmate's .table and you felt dcserl"(·d and that these were intentional- su re that she too would come out of his ly given to put me at ease-the only talk with her glowing like _ you when he brown creature among so many pink- was your guest. and-white ones. How many times, in I would have been more homesick my classes now, I would be tempted to had Professor .Merlino not been my poke fun at a maverick of a Student, the teacher in talian. , Strange cause-annonly one in the group, for instance, too effect sequence, isn't 'it, but nonetheless ·' 26 : Y-· .... .-: .. ' ' MY 1!19ST UNFORG~;'~TABLE TEACHE_R. '· 27 ',.j ·- - -' . ~ ~ - ~ --_ true . .for did I not_ have -Professor Mer:~ r..- lino's subjects to make me forget to miss home and family all the time, I might have had a worse time of my studies abroad than I did. My other teacher did not even know . that he was teaching me. Yet I do not believe anyone could associate with him for any length of time which placed in. _ tegrity above everything else and truth to self as the guiding star of existence. - Never did' it occur to him that there might· be a compromise with expediency, . as many "integrity-mouthing'' p~c.ple have shown by -their acts, for to him there wa:s only one way to be honestand that was to be honest·. Always h~ was himself, humble yet avogan_ t, hum. ble for ·he knew all the time his limitations, arrogant, because he never allowed any sullying of his personal selfrespect, the respect he felt he owed to his dignity as a human being. ;J " ---... ;...:: • ~ • - - - • . ·-J"~ r· have named o·ne child-in honor of .... Professor Merlino, h~pjng · with all ~Y mother's heart -that something of the greatness of his namesake would be his, sheer force oi ,:.1other . suggestion. I have made Nat ':"loyd the; godfather of my little girl, praying that his spirit of self-reliance: the essential goodness of all his actions, be it taking his houseboY. to the hospital or writing only what he believed was right, not what others thought, should somehow be his spiritual gift to her. I can see Professor Merlino now befriending a lonely Filipino girl in a ~, country with its mind-your-ow·n-businesa philosophy; I can see Nat dancing little - Lina around, telling me how he admired Goethe, idolized Emerson. I can - see " them together hand in hand, and when my spirit is troubled by the vicissiwd~s of living they still teach me what .to do · to conquer myself, y~t not admit' defeat. - -, 'LETTERS FROM. . . (Continued from inside back · cover) . ·Gentlemen: ~ ' have the honor to ask information regarding your subscription rates for · the benefit of the twenty teacHers of Guimba District, 'Nueva Ecija, who ·sig. hified their intentions of subscr-ibing to ·the Philippine Education.\ i ery resp·ectively, CAMILO JACOBA Elementary Principal _ ~uimba, Nuev_a Ec!ja _. _ Dear ::\Ir. Lay a : I owe you apologies for having re_ mained quiet about the copies of the Philippine Educator which you mailed _sometime ago. They were distributed among the teachers' associati()ns in the & • eleYen districts but, in view of the ab- sence of any instruction to dispose of them by sale, I did not collect the money to cover the cost of the first issue. It is too late to . exact the payment of the magazine as late· as this time. I have sent o~t copies of ·your letter of July 30, 1947, to the field 'artd have· asked se'veral district supervisors to so• licit subscriptions among . th~ir . teachers. The . subscriptions will probably be sent direct to you Yours truly, TIBtJRCIO .J?ORJA ' • President Misamis Occidental · Teachers' ASsoCiation' (.~_ontinue.d _on page_ .40).,... ..... + •• · •••• . ....... f The Filipino Expert · WATCH - REPAIRER / JEWELER & ENGRAVER 1220 Tuberias, Quiapo · ManiJa r"Y • • • • • • • • • FOR MODERN OPTICAL NEEDS-SEE KEEPSAKE OPTICAL-80 Escolta

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