Texas recognizes Pinay teacher

A Filipina has been recognized as Independent School District Elementary Teacher of the Year in Houston, Texas. Marie Alexis "Jinky" Relampagos, a second-grade English as a Second Language teacher from Briargrove Elementary, was presented with the award on May 9, 2007, at the annual Houston Independent School District (HISD) Teacher Recognition Banquet at the George R. Brown Convention Center. She is an immigrant from Davao City. Relampagos and Hafedh Azaiez, the secondary school winner, were chosen from among 268 nominees, according to the HISD website. Both won a prize of $5,000 each plus $1,000 gift certificate from I. W. Marks Jewelers. With more than 300 schools and serving some 210,000 students, the HISD is the biggest school district in Texas and the seventh in the United States. “I felt very surprised when my name was called as Teacher of the Year," Relampagos said. “It has never crossed my mind that this kind of recognition would ever happen in my life. I am both honored and humbled by the whole experience." Relampagos, who attended the Ateneo de Davao University, didn’t plan on becoming a teacher. Instead, with her degree in mass communication, she wanted to become a journalist. Upon graduating, however, she accepted a teaching job at the Ateneo de Davao Grade School and forever reconsidered her path in life. “I think teaching is my calling," she said. “The opportunity came and I grabbed it and here I am enjoying it." She began taking education courses and eventually earned her teaching license in 1999. With the help of a recruiting agency, Relampagos and 53 other Filipino teachers were hired by the HISD from the Philippines in 2000. In Houston, she began teaching at Edward Blackshear Elementary, a school in the third ward where she taught second-grade ESL classes. “The first year was very challenging, but the Blackshear faculty and staff were very helpful," Relampagos said. “I also had my Filipino teacher friends who served as my support group. I had to go through a lot of adjustments, but at the end of the year, I was very fulfilled with the progress I saw in my students and I learned to love my new environment." By adapting to that environment and overcoming her trials, Relampagos earned the Blackshear Teacher of the Year award in 2002 and the HISD South Central District ESL Teacher of the Year award in 2003. After three years, Relampagos decided to find work closer to home. She began teaching at Briargrove Elementary where her colleagues’ nominations led to her district win. Fellow second-grade teacher Susan Simpson fondly recalls her first days of teaching at Briargrove where Relampagos served as both a mentor and a friend. “With her, what you see is what you get," Simpson said. “If you had a seven-year-old, you would want her to be their teacher." Martin Garza, the principal, believes that Relampagos’s teaching ability and personality benefit the school. “Not only does she embody the ideal teacher, but she also boosts our moral by confirming what a good teacher should be," Garza said. Although she is now eligible to win the Region 4 Teacher of the Year Award, Relampagos continues to focus on her students and her family—who are proud of her accomplishments. “When I called my dad in the Philippines to tell him that I had won, he couldn’t stop crying," Relampagos said. “My mom had to take the phone away from him because she was afraid that he would have a heart attack." Her husband, Pablo, a former teacher in the Philippines, was even inspired to begin taking U.S. teacher certification classes. The biggest surprise, however, came in the form of e-mails from strangers who wrote to congratulate her on her win. “It is very touching to receive emails from people I don’t know—both from Filipinos and other immigrants who express their joy in seeing a “kapwa Pilipino" or another immigrant being recognized in such a wonderful way," Relampagos said. “And my response to them is, ‘I am just the representative, this recognition goes to all of us who put our heart and dedication into the teaching profession every day.’" - Harmony Reforma/ Souie C. Mercado, Fil-Am Press