Proving that failure should never stop you from living your dreams, an Aeta teacher recently went viral for finally passing the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET) after 24 failures! She is now working on her PhD after completing her Master’s Degree; isn’t that impressive?
Teacher Gennie Panguelo currently works at Tarukan Elementary School in Tarlac.
When she graduated from her degree in Bachelor of Elementary Education, she immediately found a job in a public school as teacher to fellow Aetas.
Back in the 1980s, the Department of Education (DepEd) was not strict in accepting teachers even if they have not passed the LET. Thus, Teacher Gennie did not have a problem finding a job.
Photo credit: Gennie Panguelo / Facebook
By the 1990s, Teacher Gennie began taking the LET but would fail. Year after year she tried her best to take the exams, yet she always failed.
When the Civil Service Commission (CSC) began issuing warnings against those who are teaching without a license, Teacher Gennie experienced discrimination as the other teachers would sometimes laugh at her for repeatedly failing the LET.
“Sinasabi nila matanda ka na, ‘di ka pa pumapasa,” the Aeta teacher recalled. At the time, she had already failed 15 times.
Yet she continued to fail in the coming years, experiencing more ridicules from other teachers.
After finding out about her plight, she was granted scholarship by Carl Balita Review Center (CBRC) – and on her 25th try, Teacher Gennie finally passed the board exams in the March 2016 LET! Wow.
Now a licensed teacher, Teacher Gennie went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Education and is on her way to finish her PhD in Teaching and Management.
Photo credit: Gawad Agila / Facebook
For not giving up despite the many failures she experienced, Teacher Gennie would receive Carl Balita’s Gawad Agila 2018 Award where she received a cash prize of Php100,000! The review center also made a film based on her story, sharing how she also sacrifices her time as she walks four hours everyday just to teach indigenous students at a school in Mt. Pinatubo.
What an inspiration!