She is a rare breed in the teaching profession; perhaps in any profession.
For Elizabeth Miranda, no sacrifice is too great as she strives to teach the children of Sitio Barogante, a remote village in Occidental Mindoro. Even if it means crossing raging rivers and climbing steep mountains.
Miranda walks a good two hours, crosses five rivers, and four mountains to reach her students. But for her, the sacrifice is worth it.
Miranda was featured by Front Row. Below are details from Front Row’s video.
The journey
Miranda starts her day early to make it on time for class. With only a pair of rubber slippers on her feet and a backpack slung over her shoulder, Miranda begins the long trek to Sitio Barogante.
As she walks, the terrain slowly changes from plowed fields and flat lands to mountainsides covered with blade grass, and rock-filled riverbanks.
Miranda walks through the rivers barefoot. Some rivers are ankle deep, others are waist high. Others are deeper still, and Miranda needs the help of the locals to cross.
“Sakripisyo talaga nila sa pagsusundo sa akin (It’s really a sacrifice for them to pick me up),” Miranda said in an interview with Front Row, grateful for the help of the locals, who, many times, help her cross the rivers on an empty stomach.
To cross the deeper rivers, Miranda rides a lifebuoy or what is called in the native dialect as “timbulan”. The natives then have to push the timbulan against strong water currents, their feet either paddling the water or grazing over riverbed rocks.
Crossing rivers, Miranda said, is a gamble between life and death.
Miranda recalled how scared she was the first time she had to cross, but said she’s gotten used to the journey by now.
“Sanay na ako…Lakasan lang ang loob ko tapos pray kay God…,” she said.
(I’m used to it…I just have to be brave and pray to God.”)
Click next to find out more about Miranda and her students
All worth it
The journey is hard, but Miranda’s body is used to it. And more than anything, Miranda thinks it is worth it.
“Iniisip ko yung mga estudyante ko doon. Kailangan din nilang matuto. Kailangan pumunta rin ako sa area na iyon para makapagturo doon,” Miranda said as she admitted that she sometimes thinks of giving up.
(“I think of my students. They need to learn. I need to go to the area to reach them.”)
Miranda’s long journey ends in a quiet village, surrounded by lush forests. There are but a handful of houses in Sitio Barogante. The thatched roofs and bamboo walls of the houses reflect the impoverished lives of the residents here.
Miranda’s classroom is a simple structure, bare but for a blackboard and wooden chairs and desks. And as Miranda rings a bell signaling the start of class, her students, many of whom have had no breakfast, walk single file to class.
“Kahit wala silang makain, gustong gusto nila matuto kaya napamahal na ako sa kanila, sa pagtuturo,” Miranda said.
(Even though they have nothing to eat, they want to learn so I have learned to love them, to love teaching.)
They are barefoot and hungry, but they are grateful for the dedication of this teacher, who braves raging rivers to reach them.
And with a smile on her face, Miranda teaches the children, sometimes even dancing and singing with them, as if she had not been through a long and arduous journey.
Read: 5000 Lumad children and 372 teachers displaced by military just want to go back to school
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