PASIG CITY, Philippines - What does it take to be influential? Aside from that killer smile and that overdone beauty queen wave, there’s got to be something those people have to be called influential. Everyone listens to what they say. Everyone pays attention to what they do. Everyone wants to share their message. From Oprah Winfrey to our very own Manny Pacquiao, many people in history have been influential to others. It seems like everyone has the potential to become significant. You don’t have to be as popular as Walt Disney to be an influential person. If you will just think about it, they must have become famous because of their influence! You can be influential in your own right. Want some proof? Meet Ms. Melarry Ribay.
Ms. Melarry Ribay, an English teacher, is perhaps the most influential person I’ve ever met in my entire career as an English tutor. It was my first day as a tutor in this academy in Ortigas Center. All of the employees were busy with their own tasks. Some teachers were teaching, of course, if not chitchatting. Some were surfing the internet. Some were filing documents. I then realized something was noticeably missing. Where’s the head teacher? As far I know, every educational institution has at least one person, other than the boss, who looks after everyone—a manager, a supervisor, or a head teacher. And in this place, why did it seem like everyone asked one another for help instead of going to the person in charge? Wasn’t there any? Since I was a newbie, I didn’t have the gut to ask. So I waited and waited. Until one day, a head teacher was finally introduced.
Her name is Melarry Ribay. She was not introduced as Ma’am Melarry or Professor Melarry (as she was once an English lecturer in Asian Summit College.) Rather, she was called Teacher Melarry because she opted to be called that way. I didn’t really ask more information about her because I was reluctant. But I heard good things. So good things, they sound too good to be true. Then I found her Friendster account. The facts were not lies at all! In her profile, I saw all her achievements. She had been there, done that, and yet she chose to be a head teacher in this humble academy.
Although most influential people get much interest for being different, you will soon be convinced that Miss Melarry, however straightforward she may be, is certainly an exceptional person. Her influence to the people she has been with is something noteworthy.
She was not so tall but her height was average for Filipina women. In a group of people swarming around a store that’s on sale, you wouldn’t notice she was there because she wasn’t tall. Her skin was bronze, if not dark, or most probably the typical kayumanggi with some yellowish accent. She had that Tyra Banks hairstyle; moreover, her thick bangs were covering her whole forehead. Her hair was dyed ash brown and highlighted blonde. It was long straight hair. Her earrings were sometimes enormous and weighty. I didn’t weigh them but I could see because her ears were sagged by their heaviness. She had this Nora Aunor-like mole on her face, right on the tip of her nose. If ever she’d get salvaged (may God forgive me for the thought), her face dilapidated, I would still recognize her as long as the mole is there, intact. I seldom caught her wearing her eyeglasses, and if ever I did, they would be those younger people wore. Rather, she was always wearing those light brown contact lenses. Her face didn’t show any signs of aging at all, even though she’s already in her late thirties.
Even though she’s a mother of three already, she still dressed very fashionably. She never let anxiety turn her into a manang. As a matter of fact, I observed her sported her high-heeled boots twice a week, except for a week long typhoon where she wore her stylish flip-flops. She might have looked younger and stylish, but the she still dressed professionally. Her fashion sense was just more for open-minded people: younger-looking yet presentable. She carried herself really well.
Melarry was an achiever. She had taught English in Indonesia, where she was very successful and well-liked. But being a mother and a wife had affected her so much that she felt the strong desire to go back to her family. The longing had become a necessity already, so she finally decided to go back to the Philippines. That’s the time she found her way back to the place I was working in. It was her 2nd time as a head teacher in this academy. The first was before she left for Indonesia. She was needed. She was sought.
Melarry was a very intelligent woman—a grammarian. She spoke like a professional and well-educated person. But outside the working space, she turned into a very different person. This was the other side of her. She was kalog, witty, and open-minded. She spoke the gay lingo and the street language. This person was enjoying both worlds all at the same time. We loved her because of this. The teachers under her supervision really looked up to her. She’s at the top but she’s still within reach. She is humble, funny, and entertaining—an all-in-one package. “John, kindly submit the evaluation paper of your student tomorrow. Submit it on time.” she told me one day while I was in front of my Korean student. The next day, during lunch break, she told me in Tagalog “John, if you have no time to do the evaluation paper, you can submit it tomorrow, just don’t tell anybody. Okay?”
Three qualities belonging to Melarry were her affectionate personality, pride, and her determination. She was faithful to her friends and family. She was well-loved by all the people around her. She was fair to everyone she encountered. Her word was her pledge. When she said she would do something, she always followed through with it. There’s no doubt in her experiences because she knew that she could handle anything life throws at her. During meetings, she was someone you would think harsh. She pointed out mistakes and corrected them rationally. She favoured no one. She wasn’t bias. But no one hated her. She’s someone nobody could hate, unless your intention is to replace her. She’s no doubt an extra-ordinary person. The teachers did what they must do without even complaining at all. We were influenced by her strong appeal and unending fortitude.
My Korean boss was everyone’s enemy. Even the Korean students themselves didn’t like her very much. One day, the boss summoned the head teacher, Melarry, to her office. She walked in a hurry. The boss demanded the teachers to finish the all the lessons in two days. That was impossible. Melarry, being intellectual, told my boss that it was an impossible task to accomplish in just two days. She was thinking about the teachers and the pressure attached to this kind of task. The lessons were twenty pages long and the students didn’t even have enough time to finish five pages in one day. But the boss was stubborn. Melarry, on the other hand, stood firm on her ground of the task’s impossibility. No matter how we turn the world upside down, the boss will always be the boss. So by the end of the day, the boss got what she wanted. Melarry then graciously gave her resignation letter that very day.
It was a very gloomy day for everyone who respected her. She was the finest we could ever have. She’s the company’s asset. The business was moulded with her hands. There’s no doubt we needed her, although she didn’t need the company at all. But she had been there. She had helped everyone to bring out the very in him.
Feeling quite shocked, the teachers who had been under her supervision decided to take her out on a “despedida” dinner date that day. She told us that she could not have reached that far without our unending support. After all that she had been through, she was very calm. She told us that hard work was supposed to be compensated and acknowledged. It was shame that all of her optimistic output had fallen on deaf ears. Though upset, she never asked us to do the same. She knew some of us were bread winners. She was never a bad influence. And that was the last time I've ever seen her again.
Teacher Melarry is now back in Indonesia, where she is very successful. She once told us a quote that we should not follow where the path may lead but go instead where there’s no path and leave a trail. She is now leaving a trail of herself. More than half of those teachers resigned after finishing the impossible two-day task. As for me, I stayed where I am, frequently remembering the day I met one of the most influential people I’ve ever met.
(john edward padilla, comm 1 theme 2)
Call Me Jed™ (cc) 2013. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.
Ms. Melarry Ribay, an English teacher, is perhaps the most influential person I’ve ever met in my entire career as an English tutor. It was my first day as a tutor in this academy in Ortigas Center. All of the employees were busy with their own tasks. Some teachers were teaching, of course, if not chitchatting. Some were surfing the internet. Some were filing documents. I then realized something was noticeably missing. Where’s the head teacher? As far I know, every educational institution has at least one person, other than the boss, who looks after everyone—a manager, a supervisor, or a head teacher. And in this place, why did it seem like everyone asked one another for help instead of going to the person in charge? Wasn’t there any? Since I was a newbie, I didn’t have the gut to ask. So I waited and waited. Until one day, a head teacher was finally introduced.
Her name is Melarry Ribay. She was not introduced as Ma’am Melarry or Professor Melarry (as she was once an English lecturer in Asian Summit College.) Rather, she was called Teacher Melarry because she opted to be called that way. I didn’t really ask more information about her because I was reluctant. But I heard good things. So good things, they sound too good to be true. Then I found her Friendster account. The facts were not lies at all! In her profile, I saw all her achievements. She had been there, done that, and yet she chose to be a head teacher in this humble academy.
Although most influential people get much interest for being different, you will soon be convinced that Miss Melarry, however straightforward she may be, is certainly an exceptional person. Her influence to the people she has been with is something noteworthy.
She was not so tall but her height was average for Filipina women. In a group of people swarming around a store that’s on sale, you wouldn’t notice she was there because she wasn’t tall. Her skin was bronze, if not dark, or most probably the typical kayumanggi with some yellowish accent. She had that Tyra Banks hairstyle; moreover, her thick bangs were covering her whole forehead. Her hair was dyed ash brown and highlighted blonde. It was long straight hair. Her earrings were sometimes enormous and weighty. I didn’t weigh them but I could see because her ears were sagged by their heaviness. She had this Nora Aunor-like mole on her face, right on the tip of her nose. If ever she’d get salvaged (may God forgive me for the thought), her face dilapidated, I would still recognize her as long as the mole is there, intact. I seldom caught her wearing her eyeglasses, and if ever I did, they would be those younger people wore. Rather, she was always wearing those light brown contact lenses. Her face didn’t show any signs of aging at all, even though she’s already in her late thirties.
Even though she’s a mother of three already, she still dressed very fashionably. She never let anxiety turn her into a manang. As a matter of fact, I observed her sported her high-heeled boots twice a week, except for a week long typhoon where she wore her stylish flip-flops. She might have looked younger and stylish, but the she still dressed professionally. Her fashion sense was just more for open-minded people: younger-looking yet presentable. She carried herself really well.
Melarry was an achiever. She had taught English in Indonesia, where she was very successful and well-liked. But being a mother and a wife had affected her so much that she felt the strong desire to go back to her family. The longing had become a necessity already, so she finally decided to go back to the Philippines. That’s the time she found her way back to the place I was working in. It was her 2nd time as a head teacher in this academy. The first was before she left for Indonesia. She was needed. She was sought.
Melarry was a very intelligent woman—a grammarian. She spoke like a professional and well-educated person. But outside the working space, she turned into a very different person. This was the other side of her. She was kalog, witty, and open-minded. She spoke the gay lingo and the street language. This person was enjoying both worlds all at the same time. We loved her because of this. The teachers under her supervision really looked up to her. She’s at the top but she’s still within reach. She is humble, funny, and entertaining—an all-in-one package. “John, kindly submit the evaluation paper of your student tomorrow. Submit it on time.” she told me one day while I was in front of my Korean student. The next day, during lunch break, she told me in Tagalog “John, if you have no time to do the evaluation paper, you can submit it tomorrow, just don’t tell anybody. Okay?”
Three qualities belonging to Melarry were her affectionate personality, pride, and her determination. She was faithful to her friends and family. She was well-loved by all the people around her. She was fair to everyone she encountered. Her word was her pledge. When she said she would do something, she always followed through with it. There’s no doubt in her experiences because she knew that she could handle anything life throws at her. During meetings, she was someone you would think harsh. She pointed out mistakes and corrected them rationally. She favoured no one. She wasn’t bias. But no one hated her. She’s someone nobody could hate, unless your intention is to replace her. She’s no doubt an extra-ordinary person. The teachers did what they must do without even complaining at all. We were influenced by her strong appeal and unending fortitude.
My Korean boss was everyone’s enemy. Even the Korean students themselves didn’t like her very much. One day, the boss summoned the head teacher, Melarry, to her office. She walked in a hurry. The boss demanded the teachers to finish the all the lessons in two days. That was impossible. Melarry, being intellectual, told my boss that it was an impossible task to accomplish in just two days. She was thinking about the teachers and the pressure attached to this kind of task. The lessons were twenty pages long and the students didn’t even have enough time to finish five pages in one day. But the boss was stubborn. Melarry, on the other hand, stood firm on her ground of the task’s impossibility. No matter how we turn the world upside down, the boss will always be the boss. So by the end of the day, the boss got what she wanted. Melarry then graciously gave her resignation letter that very day.
It was a very gloomy day for everyone who respected her. She was the finest we could ever have. She’s the company’s asset. The business was moulded with her hands. There’s no doubt we needed her, although she didn’t need the company at all. But she had been there. She had helped everyone to bring out the very in him.
Feeling quite shocked, the teachers who had been under her supervision decided to take her out on a “despedida” dinner date that day. She told us that she could not have reached that far without our unending support. After all that she had been through, she was very calm. She told us that hard work was supposed to be compensated and acknowledged. It was shame that all of her optimistic output had fallen on deaf ears. Though upset, she never asked us to do the same. She knew some of us were bread winners. She was never a bad influence. And that was the last time I've ever seen her again.
Teacher Melarry is now back in Indonesia, where she is very successful. She once told us a quote that we should not follow where the path may lead but go instead where there’s no path and leave a trail. She is now leaving a trail of herself. More than half of those teachers resigned after finishing the impossible two-day task. As for me, I stayed where I am, frequently remembering the day I met one of the most influential people I’ve ever met.
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| Teacher Melarry (c) 2012 |
(john edward padilla, comm 1 theme 2)
Call Me Jed™ (cc) 2013. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.