By Aliana Rebecah G. Ruelos
Not every achiever aimed to make it to the top. Some of them landed there by chance. Marites Sangel, one of the Ten Outstanding Faculty of the Year (TOFY) at Far Eastern University (FEU) proved to be just that.
“Wala sa isip ko na magtuturo ako. Di ko naging ambition yan.”
Marites Sangel, a graduate of Medical Technology of the Centro Escolar University, was working in a diagnostic laboratory for less than a year when a friend asked her to apply as a teacher at FEU. She was doubtful as she had no teaching experience but obliged, thinking that she had nothing to lose.
Surprise, Sangel got the job and was informed that she would be starting the following day. It was already July or August and classes were going. She left her job at the diagnostic laboratory and started her teaching career at FEU in 1983.
Reminiscing about her first day of work, could not imagine staying in FEU for 25 years like other co-teachers. But now Sangel is on her 33rd year. It wasn’t the first time she was lead to something she didn’t dream of doing – taking Medical Technology in her college years was never her choice either. “It was my father’s wish,” she recalled.
A Devoted Free Spirit
She enumerated things that made her stay at FEU, mentioning the benefits the university provides to its employees. I only wanted a job but I was also given the chance to study. I did my Master of Arts in Teaching Biological Science. Marites Sangel admittedly fell in love with teaching and the university itself.
The Port of Call
She remains flexible in handling her students, adjusting her teaching style according to the standards of the class. She is also keen on motivating her students by making the first quizzes fairly easy so they wouldn’t feel disheartened.
About students who get failing grades or are not performing well in class, she says, “You have to treat them nicely so you help boost their confidence until they learn. Instead of losing their motivation, you boost their morale.”
When asked about her reaction to receiving the award, Sangel said, “Of course I was so thankful because being an awardee or even a nominee for that particular award is already a great thing. I felt so blessed because of the many faculty members in FEU, I was chosen as one of the awardees.” She was also one of the TOFY awardees back in 2013.
The university never failed to acknowledge her efforts and she received several awards and certificates from FEU. Despite plunging head on into a job she never expected nor dreamed of, Marites Sangel made it a point to workhand and loyal to her life motto, “In anything that you do, do your best.”