093116 - The School of Fortune

093116

Eng 11 R17 Ms. Iriz Astillero

The School of Fortune

Most public schools in the Philippines often get flack for the way they operate- from the lack of facilities to how the school is run. But it’s really not these schools’ fault, so they are not to blame. Usually it’s the Philippine government that should be held accountable for the mediocre way Philippine public schools are run. However, there are also some public schools in the country that, despite the lack of substantial funding and faculty, still manage to function well and get the job done right and provide its students a place conducive to learning with only the limited means at their disposal. One such fortunate school (pardon the pun) is Fortune Elementary, located deep within the heart of Fortune, Marikina.

When I first laid my eyes upon Fortune Elementary School’s facade way back during the beginning of my senior year in Ateneo High School for my class’ Tulong-Dunong program, I thought to myself, “Not bad.” I had expected the public school my classmates and I would be tutoring in for the rest of our senior year to be, well, just like every other public school in our country: dirty, hot, lacking in facilities and other basic school necessities, classrooms over-populated by too many students, smelly, and really, for lack of a better term- ugly. Don’t blame me, I have been in some really awful public schools before. So I was relieved to see that the public elementary school my classmates and I were going to teach in for an entire year wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought it to be. Sure, there was a slight hint of tobacco in the air (due to the tobacco plants in the area), but otherwise, it was pretty good. In fact, it looked great for a public school, with its hallways and classrooms clean and free of litter (the school being in Marikina) and its façade generally more aesthetically-pleasing to the eye than most other Filipino public schools. And more than that, there were a lot of jolly and merry students playing and frolicking around, their voices and laughter filling the entire school. From that first observation, I already had the impression that this was an okay school.

The school, named after Fortune, Marikina- the same place where Fortune tobacco is processed (thus the name)- was founded in 2001and has now today evolved from a simple, vacant lot into one of the biggest public schools in all of Marikina. Its 32 classrooms are home to 3690 students, most if not all come from poor families. The school teaches students from preschool to grade 6 and holds morning and afternoon classes to be able to accommodate the vast number of children who study there. Its 81 faculty members are led by the school principal Ms. Henerosa T. Victorino, who was kind enough to accommodate my request to see a couple of their classrooms up close. The school, having a huge number of poor children as its students, does not collect any tuition fee or any sort as policy. Asked how and where they get their funds, Ms. Victorino said, “We receive our funding from either the city or national government. It’s not much, but we get by.”

With its green, pink and white color scheme, the school tries to promote a clean and environment-friendly atmosphere, much like Marikina. Entering the school, you are greeted by a façade of two buildings, each 3 stories high, divided by a courtyard that serves as the school’s main assembly area for all its students. Both of the buildings house all the classrooms and have comfort rooms in two of its floors each. Each and every classroom is unique in that they are all decorated by works of the students; with colorful artworks accompanying the educational posters like the usual alphabet and number table posters plastered on the walls- an exhibit to showcase the students’ creativity. Each classroom greets your eyes with a plethora of pastel colors beginning from the entrance which shows the grade level and section name such as, “Grade 2- Orchid” to the walls inside decorated and covered by art from top to bottom. Further inspection shows that each room is clean and has a quiet environment conducive to learning. They have an AV room in one building for special classes while the opposite one houses the principal’s office along with the other teachers’. The AV room is simple, functional and nothing fancy: a total opposite to the school’s regular classrooms with the AV room sporting a simple one-color scheme. Inside is a projector, a projector screen, some books, a television, a radio and a mic aside from the usual classroom blackboard and monobloc chairs. Because of the lack in funding, the principal’s and the faculty’s rooms are one and the same and is straight up simple and dare I say it, bordering on boring- and no teacher has a single table to his/herself except the principal.

Fortune Elementary, like its namesake, is doing more good than bad. It is a prime example of how to make the most of what you have. And the people behind the school have been able to do that by providing the best learning environment they can with the limited resources they have. It seems to me that the eight years of operation have been- pardon the pun (again)- fortunate on Fortune Elemenatry. And you can bet your money that it’ll still stay that way in the coming years. I mean, come on, with a name like Fortune, how can you go wrong?