Milwida M. Guevara My teacher found it hard to believe that I spoke good English. Being an Asian, he expected me to have difficulties in the language. My thoughts went right away to the beautiful Ms. Correa, my teacher from grades one to three. It was her who taught me to read and write in English. She taught me to recite "All things bright and beautiful." She took us out of our classrooms to watch the clouds and imagine what they were. I thought that they looked like flowers. A classmate said they looked like cotton candy. Then she asked us to draw what we saw and to write stories about clouds and the blue sky. She taught us songs like "Clementine" which I remember up to today. When we did well in class, she rewarded us with books that took us to fairy land and made us dream about princes, dwarfs, and fairies. Thank you teacher for the gift of reading, writing, and thinking. I had the fortune to have teachers that were as good as her in high school. I learned the rules of grammar from Ms. Vivar using diagramming and parts of speech. She enriched our vocabulary by introducing us to clichés, gerunds and hyperboles. Ms. Acuna, my literature teacher, introduced us to Silas Marner, Thanatopsis, and Ichabod Crane. She made us write book reviews and compositions. I began to admire the literary prowess of Carlos P. Romulo upon reading the essay he wrote on Independence Day. I cried while reading how he described his pride in seeing the Philippine flag fly high. Thank you teachers for helping us realize the beauty and power of literature. Mr. Sabangan was my World History teacher. He introduced our class to the grandeur of Rome. We imagined Julius Caesar being stabbed by Brutus as he staged a "coup d’état.” When I had chance to visit the Coliseum in Rome, I literally heard the sounds of chariots and imagined a gallery full of Roman soldiers. I was there at the scene long before my trip to Rome. Mr. Sabangan took us there by stirring our imagination. Thank you teacher for helping us understand the story of nations. I felt despondent in my Economics class at the Center for Research and Communications (now the University of Asia and the Pacific.) I was a grade 3 teacher with very little background in Statistics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics. But Dr. Villegas calmed my fears and restored my self-confidence. His eyes lit up when I explained the “poverty trap” in a very simple way. His simple recognition of my efforts inspired me that I could do the impossible. Thank you teacher for making us believe in ourselves. You have your own Ms. Correa, Ms. Vivar, Ms. Acuna, Mr. Sabangan and Dr. Villegas. Our teachers have influenced who we are and what we have become. A big part is played by our DNA, but our teachers provide us with the opportunities to develop our inborn talents, skills and predisposition. Those comments like "very good" when our answers were correct, and the comments of "well done" that they wrote on our test papers boosted our morale and inspired us to do better. We fell in love with our teachers, mimicked the way they spoke, and took them as our role model. They laid the foundation for our love for poetry, essays, history, math and economics. They awakened in us a desire for excellence and to push our limits so that we can be better than the best. They laughed with us, lent a sympathetic ear, and shared our sorrows and joy. Today join me as we remember our heroes and say “Thank you Teacher.” My teacher, My Hero. [email protected]