Two Licensure Examination for Teachers topnotchers from Negros Island come from two different backgrounds.
One comes from a family of teachers, another was a lola’s boy; one was focused on studying daily while one did his review on the weekends; and one placed 9th and one placed 6th.
But more than these differences, both of them proved that perseverance in your studies will take you to where your aspirations are.
Alvord Valencia, 22, of Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, placed sixth in the secondary teachers’ exam, while Silverio Tortocion III, 23, of Kabankalan City, Negros Oriental, placed ninth in the exam for elementary teachers based on the latest LET results from the Professional Regulation Commission.
Both of these board passers come from different backgrounds but proved that hardwork pays off despite the challenges.
A FAMILY OF TEACHERS
Coming from a family of teachers, Tortocion said that somehow he had this internal pressure to pass the board exam.
His father, Silverio Jr., is a retired teacher, while his mother, Lovela, is on her 38th year as a grade school teacher. His sister Vannesa Dawn is also a teacher and ranked 9th in the Sept. 2013 LET-elementary, and his brother Enrico is also a teacher. Their elder sister, Rosalina, obtained an AB Social Sciences degree.
“It was more like internal pressure, since I wanted to do my best,” Tortocion, who is the youngest of the four children, said.
He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Kabankalan Catholic College and according to him his review started when he was in 3rd year.
“After graduation, I declined some work opportunities and decided to focus solely on my review,” he said, adding “I attended all the sessions of my review center and formulated my study plan, focusing more on subjects that matter and those that I was weak at.”
From August to December 2022, he reviewed 6 to 8 hours a day and it went 8 to 12 hours as the exam neared in March.
“I practiced my test-taking skills often, especially in Professional Education which requires more analysis and critical thinking,” Tortocion explained.
When the examination results came out, he became teary eyed “upon realizing that all the hard work, struggles, pains, and sleepless nights had come to fruition,” he said.
“My advice for the future LET takers is to work smart and hard and pray hard. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses, motivations, why are you doing this, why you want to be an LPT and so on. You need to have a solid resolve. Also, walk the talk…Victory loves preparation,” Tortocion said.
“My plan after oath-taking is to probably work, of course. I’m not just sure what kind of work, probably in a school or a review center. I’m also planning to pursue a master’s degree,” he said.
LOLA’S BOY
Valencia, on the other hand, grew up with his grandmother, Consesa Valencia, who supported and took care of him since his mother died in 2006. That same year he was also separated from his father, Buenaventura, who became a truck driver to support his needs until 2019 when he had the chance to work abroad.
“I really focused on my studies as the stipend of my scholarship was just enough to sustain my studies apart from the support from my papa,” he said.
Valencia said his father never failed to support him together with his second wife who treated him as their true child.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Negros Oriental State University and proceeded to become a full-time teacher in a private school in Tanjay City, saying that he was privileged to be immediately admitted to the same school where he graduated.
He confessed that he was not a studious person but still enrolled in a review center.
“My review was on the weekends and because of this I did not have enough time to rest and this routine went on for three months”, he said.
He never expected to be a topnotcher, he said, adding that all his achievements “with God’s grace, are all dedicated to my papa and nanay”.
When asked for his advise to future takers, Valencia said to just “ride the tide and do not no be affected by external pressures.”*