METROBANK OUTSTANDING TEACHER Rochelle Papasin finds fulfillment in seeing her students excel and in making a positive difference in their lives.

Mention Philippine Science High School and you conjure images of excellent students and challenging curriculum. The spotlight has always been on the students who consistently win in national and international competitions, bringing pride and honor to the country.

But people must not also forget that behind every successful student is a great teacher who has helped the student achieve his dreams.

Chemistry teacher and coach Rochelle Dela Torre Papasin of PSHS-Southern Mindanao Campus in Davao City is one of the two teachers at the PSHS System chosen to be among the 10 awardees of the 2009 Search for Outstanding Teachers of the Metrobank Foundation. They were cited for their dedication to their profession, the sacrifices that were carried out beyond their call of duty, and for their accomplishments in their school and community.

PRODUCING WINNERS

“I think tama rin naman na we take the backseat while our students take the limelight. Pero talagang napakalaki rin ng role ng mga teachers. In my case, as a coach of students with winning research projects and those who join Science fairs, I have to set the directions, discipline the students, and supervise them in their work kasi on their own they won’t do it,” relates 44-year-old Papasin.

With 18 years experience in teaching, Papasin has become an expert Science teacher and coach to students, having produced three national winners and brought two teams to two international
science fairs in Japan and Malaysia.

Apart from this, her teams also join the National Inventors Fair and other events organized by the Department of Science and Technology.

Papasin explains that in doing research projects, PSHS students and teachers usually come up with their own ideas and combine them together for the final output. They also have defense proposals for a project to get even more inputs. The entire institution is actually involved in it.

“So, like the students, we also feel the burden of rising to the challenge kasi there is that expectation that we should always be the best. Kaya kapag natalo mga bata sa competition naiiyak sila dahil parang ang bigat ng pagkatalo. Kaya pinaghahandaan namin. We have to set the bar. Mahirap yun. Lahat pati kalaban mo umaasenso after a year, kaya kailangan umasenso ka rin,” she admits.

DESTINED FOR TEACHING

Papasin comes from a family of teachers so it was just natural for her, at the early age of eight, to also want to pursue the same profession as that of her grandmother, father, mother and sister.

Growing up in Cotabato city, Papasin and her two other siblings walked to school everyday. What made it adventurous but traumatic for her one school day, was when a helicopter landed in front of them and they didn’t know where to go or hide, fearing they were in danger. Other than that though, Papasin has been fortunate enough not to encounter any other untoward incidents such as rebel and military clashes in her hometown.

Papasin has also worked to make Chemistry more entertaining and educational for her students. She has written several published professional articles and instructional materials.

Among the most distinguished is an article she wrote dubbed “Mixing Proverbs with Chemistry” for The Science Teacher, a popular peer-reviewed journal published by the National Science Teacher’s
Association of the United States for secondary school teachers. Here, she combined passages from the Bible and the symbols and formulas in Chemistry. One has to unlock hidden messages through a set of clues that include symbols and names of an element.

“With it, one can familiarize himself with the proverbs and at the same time, learn Chemistry,” she says.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY

In 2006, Papasin and 26 of her high school students were commissioned by a non-government organization to spearhead a research study on the Davao River along Maa and Tamugan Areas. The results of the study showed that, although the tributary to the main river had clear water, it is in in fact contaminated with coliform bacteria and is not safe for drinking and for washing clothes which has been the long-time practice of residents.

Her students were the ones who presented the results to the community to warn them of the harsh effects it can cause to their health.

Papasin also served as resource speaker and facilitator in various seminars and teacher training programs in the region. She also spearheaded outreach activities particularly in training teachers in indigenous communities such as the lumads of Mt. Apo.

“I discovered that they are slow in interpreting information so I feel that they should be trained in their critical thinking skills. I don’t only teach science but made it more diverse and applicable to a general group so I will have more attendees in the trainings,” she shares.

Back at her school, Papasin along with her colleagues formed the Silver Hearts Club which provides basic needs to financially-challenged students.

“Even with a free tuition and stipend, some students still find it hard to meet their basic needs. Kaya yung iba nagtitipid at hindi nalang kumakain. So I started with one kid binibili ko ng food, grocery. We get the funds from our own pockets and pool our resources to be able to meet the needs of these kids,” she reveals.

EFFECTIVE COACH

On top of all her activities and advocacies, Papasin feels strongly about her role as coach which she thinks has made her win the Metrobank award.

“I think I made a significant difference in coaching. Kasi it’s not really easy coaching students. The time you spend in coaching is different in a classroom setting, lalo na pag dinala mo na sa contest. Andun na yung teacher, friend, yaya, all rolled into one. It goes beyond teaching, beyond the call of duty. It’s really walking the extra mile for them because you know you have to make a difference in the lives of the students because they might not have that chance again,” explains Papasin.

For her, this is what really matters more than the awards and accomplishments.

“It’s the impact you make on your students, by touching their lives. My greatest fulfillment as a teacher comes from knowing that my students learn and change positively in the way they think, they behave and the achievements they attain,” she ends.