Blind child shines at the top of her class

Nine-year-old Ma. Aleeia Jose Maclit IV is like a ball of sunshine, giggling as she tells me her weekend plans. She says she will eat, play, sleep, watch TV, eat, sleep, eat - not necessarily in that order. Sounds good, I tell her, amazed at how pure and simple her happiness is. She certainly deserves her weekend of fun. After all, Aleeia just emerged at the top of her second grade class at Barangka Elementary School (BES) in Marikina. With an average of 88, Aleeia ranked first among 54 students in Grade 2 - R. Nepomuceno. She tells me the secret to good grades is focus. "Mag-focus lang po siya para may matutunan siya. Kasi po pangarap ko din maging teacher. So pag naging teacher ako, gusto ko tama lahat ng ituturo ko sa mga tuturuan ko," she shares. Aleeia smiles constantly, her eyes crinkling adorably at the corners. When she speaks, there is a certain earnestness in her voice that pulls your gaze to her, and despite her not being able to meet your eyes, you can tell that she sees you.

Aleeia is blind, but her blindness is not what makes her special. "Special siya kasi kakaiba talaga yung personality niya," says Aizaleen S. Marcelo, master teacher at BES. "Napaka-optimistic, mahahawa ka talaga at makikita mo, mabait si Lord talaga. Hindi ka man Niya bibigyan ng kumpleto, bibigyan ka naman ng kakaiba talaga," she says. Aleeia was the subject of an I-Witness documentary by Howie Severino in 2007 when she was a five-year-old pupil at a school for blind pre-schoolers, where she was being prepared to join sighted children at a regular public school. As grade level head at Barangka, master teacher Marcelo was tasked with Aleeia's assessment, and it was she who decided the precocious girl was capable of joining a regular class of sighted pupils. The teacher tells me that she immediately saw Aleeia as an excellent student, and the results of the first grading period proved her right. "On my part, talagang tama lang. Kasi ako naman, taga-compute lang. Kung ano yung work niya, ginagawa niya. Natatapos sa oras, minsan daig niya pa yung iba," says Marcelo. Of course, given her blindness, Aleeia's achievements are not solely her own. Marcelo makes sure to discuss the lesson before the students write anything. Aleeia sometimes writes things down from memory, but when she needs help, her seatmates gladly dictate to her. To be able to cope with the regular class requirements, Marcelo cooperates with Aleeia's SPED teacher, Nimfa Gasang. Aleeia's 26-year-old sister Aiath also plays a big role, running back and forth from the main building to the SPED classroom, carrying materials that need to be rewritten in Braille. Her Ate Aiath shares that the secret is teamwork. "Nakikinig lang siya, finofollow-up ko, finofollow-up ng teacher," says Aiath. "Hindi lang naman sa kanya manggagaling - although proven and tested na matalino siya, siyempre kung walang suporta ng family, ng teacher, ng environment - hindi rin maha-harness yung ganung klaseng skills," she says. Paying it forward Aleeia's enthusiasm for learning is infectious. In the process of adjusting to her needs, those around her also gain from the experience. "Nag-aaral ako, at the same time si teacher nag-aaral din. Di niya alam minsan, minsan alam ko naman, so mas dumadami yung natututunan namin," says Aiath. She feels this is where she is meant to be. "Eto pala yung purpose ko sa buhay, tutulungan ko din siya at the same time, paying it forward," she says, explaining that seven years of helping out at the Resources for the Blind Institute in Cubao prepared her for her role today as "ambassador." "Feeling ko dito talaga ako. Kasi kita mo naman, ang SPED dito ngayon pa lang nagu-umpisa. So lahat ng suporta na puwede kong kunin sa lahat ng connection ko talagang dito ko binubuhos ngayon," she says. She also makes magazines and decorates the room, so that if anyone comes by, they will see that SPED is not to be pitied. "Yun yung gusto kong ma-achieve, na malaman nila lahat na yun," she says, revealing her frustration with parents who are ashamed of their SPED children. "Feeling ko yung purpose ko maging ambassador para yung mga magulang matanggap nila unti-unti na 'ay, 'di pala dapat pinababayaan ang anak ko," she says. In Marikina, there are only two SPED public schools, one in San Roque, and Barangka Elementary School. Summer school for SPED teachers SPED teacher Gasang, 50, says it is a pity there are very few teachers willing to learn how to teach blind children despite an annual scholarship program of the Department of Education. The program is done over a period of three summers. Teachers are trained to use the Braille system, as well as how to instruct blind children. For each summer of training, the teacher is under contract to teach for two years. "Nag-iisa lang ako, kasi noong nagbigay ng memo sa division office, walang pumatol, ako lang," she laughs. Gasang admits that she is actually a special case, because the scholarship is only offered to teachers aged 40 and below. "Sabi ko, eh bakit ba? Puwede pa naman ako, kasi natututo pa naman ako," she says, adding that she learned Braille in her first summer of training. "Ewan ko ba sa ibang teacher, ayaw nila, nahirapan silang mag-aral ng Braille. Akala nila mahirap kasi nga, pa dot dot dot," she says. Gasang shares that she doesn't mind the six-year contract at all. "Gusto ko na dere-deretso, kasi nag-eenjoy akong magturo. Mas madali kasing turuan yung mga blind," she says. "Very keen ang kanilang hearing," she says. She explains that blind children hear the sounds of the letters and remember them better, while those who can see simply memorize what the letter looks like. "Mas okay kapag di nakakakita, kasi sounds lang ang binabase nila sa pagbasa," she says. On the other hand, Braille is a challenge. "Pinag-aralan ko kasi yung alphabet nila iba, yung pagsulat nila, pag reading nila... natutunan ko naman agad. Madali akong matuto kasi mahilig din ako sa bagong challenges," says Gasang. Apart from Braille, she says that extra coordination is needed between the SPED teacher and the regular teacher. "Hindi mo puwedeng basta dalhin, kaya nagco-cooperate kami. Para alam nila kung paano iti-treat," she says. With support from her teachers, family and classmates, Aleeia not only gets by, but surpasses expectations. Her sunny disposition rubs off on you, and it's evident that her cheerfulness is a family trait. Aiath is also all smiles as she talks about her role as an ambassador, and how her weekdays are devoted to her sister. Her father takes over on Saturdays, and her brother on Sundays. Although she graduated with a degree in Computer Science from De La Salle Canlubang, Aiath is more interested in Communication Arts. But it is what she does for her sister that she really loves. "Iba yung work na masaya ka sa work na para sa pera. Ang gusto ko, hindi ko siya tatawaging trabaho... hobby ko siya. Kasi pag sinabi kong trabaho, napipilitan lang ako. Pag sinabi kong hobby, gusto ko kahit malayo, kahit ano pa," she says. She tells me that Aleeia loves news shows. "Pag-uwi namin sa bahay, yan, bukas na ng TV kasi kailangan niyang malaman yung mga nangyayari," says Aiath. Aleeia agrees, and adds that she also likes to watch telenovelas like Munting Heredera. "Instrument kami. Hindi naman lahat nabibigyan ng chance maging instrument, hangga't may ibibigay kami, bigay lang nang bigay. Kasi kaya ibinigay sayo, para i-share," says Aiath. Seeing through listening Her cheerful tone fades only when she begins to talk about their mother, who succumbed to lung cancer last December 26. "Although nakakaiyak siya, hindi naman yun reason na ma-depress ka lalo kasi malay mo, although kinuha siya baka tool din yun na sabihin na hindi siya mamamatay, na alam niya marami kaming natutulungan," she says, ever the optimist. Before she died, Feena Maclit actively sought to educate people about the blind, especially parents of blind children. She enrolled in Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired's Training of Trainors in October 2007, where she learned to "see" the computer through listening. She then taught Aleeia and other blind children to use the computer. "Although may nawala, malaki yung kapalit. Nawalan kami ng mommy, dumami naman ang mga nanay namin," she says, gesturing toward Aleeia's teachers. To Aleeia, she too has become like a mother. "Di ako nakakatulog pag di niya ako niyayakap. Parang, eto ako, tapos dito siya, tapos ganyan," Aleeia demonstrates to me while her ate goes off for a while to fix something. She seems to enjoy telling me about her pet mouse, named Blondie, and how her toys are mostly writing pads, and how she finds regrouping difficult but was able to master it. "Nahirapan ako sa subtraction, pero ginawan ko ng kuwento - O, manghihiram tayo kay Nay, kay ganito..." she explains. Aleeia's teachers are aware that the little girl has changed their lives even more than they have changed hers. "Ito yung magpapabago sa teaching career ko. Iba ito, kung ano ako dati gagaling pa ako dito," says Marcelo, adding that even Aleeia's classmates and their parents were touched by Aleeia's success. "Yung mga parents, iyakan talaga sila, noong ia-announce na ang top. Kahit yung mga kaklase niya isang pangalan lang yung binabanggit," she says. "Nakakataba ng puso pagka alam mo na nag-top siya. Tapos ia-appreciate ng ibang tao," says Aiath, adding that Aleeia's achievements are not just hers, or theirs, but for everyone to see that being blind is not a hindrance to education. - YA/HS, GMA News Photos by Carmela Lapeña