A kindergarten teacher from Bulacan became an instant celebrity on TikTok after she shared some videos of her cute interactions with her students.
In one of her videos, 27-year-old Teacher Jessa Placencia filmed her students’ reactions after announcing the suspension of their classes.
“Mga bata, bukas wala kayong pasok. Ayaw niyo ng walang pasok? Bakit?” Teacher Jessa can be heard saying in the video.
“Di ka namin makikita, wala na kaming kayakap,” the students responded.
“Ang expect ko po na nila, ‘Yay walang pasok,’ ganyan, akala ko matutuwa sila pero nagulat ako, nalungkot po sila. Ayaw daw po nila kasi hindi daw po nila ako makikita, sobrang sweet po kasi talaga ng mga bata. ‘Yung mga bata, they’re very sweet. They love talking to you, they love sharing moments, experiences nang walang filter kaya sasabihin po talaga nila kung ano ‘yung totoo,” Teacher Jessa shared with The Philippine STAR.
Teacher Jessa has been a kindergarten teacher at the San Jose del Monte Heights Elementary School for a year now.
Growing up, she never dreamt of becoming a teacher.
“Actually wala po talaga sa plan ko ang pagiging teacher, ang unang gusto ko talaga ay tourism pero naging mahiluhin po kasi ako sa byahe eh so hindi ko po kaya ‘yung travel which kailangan po sa course na tourism,” Teacher Jessa recalled.
“Di ko rin akalain na magugustuhan ko siya kasi akala ko pwede naman ako magshift na ng course pero ‘yun, pagkagraduate na pagkagraduate ko, nagturo kaagad ako,” she added.
But after teaching students for quite some time, she couldn’t imagine herself leaving the profession.
“Na-try kong magstop ng teaching for months pero hinahanap-hanap ko pa rin ‘yung classroom setting. Ang pinaka fulfilling part po para sa ‘kin as a teacher is nakikita ko ‘yung mga students ko na may natututunan sila sa akin. At the same time, we’re also enjoying,” she said.
Teacher Jessa said that she has to practice patience and understanding when dealing with kids.
“Sa first year of teaching ko, lalo na po sa nursery, medyo na-shock po talaga ako kasi bata eh, parang naglalaro lang po sila sa classroom hanggang sa I handled Grade 1. Do’n po ako mas nakapag-training as a teacher, do’n ko po sila mas natutunan kung pano sila i-discipline sa loob ng classroom,” Teacher Jessa shared.
“Sa high school po kasi ang mahirap po ay lesson, ‘yung topic na ituturo, pag dating po sa amin, ang mahirap po ‘yung teaching itself, ‘yung pagtuturo talaga,” she added.
In January 2023, she started uploading videos on TikTok, sharing some glimpses of her life as an educator.
After a few months in the platform, her videos went viral and reached millions of views.
“Kaya ako nag-create ng content sa TikTok, gusto ko lang mashare ‘yung mga good vibes ng sa classroom namin. Para makita po ng iba and natutuwa naman po ako kasi maraming nai-inspire to become a teacher,” she stressed.
“Ang advice ko lang po siguro sa lahat, don’t forget to take care of yourself also. Kung paano po tayo nag-eeffort sa lesson plan, sa mga lessons inside the classroom, sana ganun din tayo mag-effort pagdating sa ating mga sarili,” she said when asked about her message to fellow educators.
Teacher Jessa said she will continue creating content to share her experiences about her chosen profession.
“Sa aking mga students, lagi niyong tatandaan na I am so proud of you. Ano man ‘yung nangyayari sa inyo, I’m very proud of you,” she noted.
