Featured LPU Davao Employee of the Month: Ms. Silver Jane A. Martinez

Ms. Silver Jane A. Martinez was born and raised in Davao City. She has three (3) sisters. Her oldest sister is a nursing graduate, her other older sister is a graduate of Electrical Engineering, and her youngest sister is a graduating Psychology student. She was raised in a religious and strict family. Her sisters and Ms. Silver follow a curfew time, but their mother would consider her as someone who is an explorer. She shared, “When I was about six years old, I was once placed inside a bag of rice as a punishment because I had failed to return home before the curfew time and had neglected to inform my parents of my whereabouts when I left home. Later, they discovered that I had gone into the woods with my friends to catch some spiders and pick some coconut fruit. “

Ms. Silver’s family relocated to Maragusan when she was seven years old to be with her father, who had been sent there to work as a tower caretaker for a telecom company. Maragusan was their home for nearly five years. They live in her uncle’s house together with his family, who is a resident of Maragusan. Unlike her sisters, she adjusted to their new environment quickly. Perhaps this is because Ms. Silver is someone who is constantly excited when she is in a new environment.

At the age of 11 years old, their family decided to relocate back to Davao City. In contrast to her smooth adjustment from Davao to Maragusan, her transition when they returned to Davao City was tough for her. She can still remember how her classmates laughed at her for pronouncing “feather” as “fider” instead of “/ˈfeð.ɚ/” or for saying “keɪ” instead of “/kiː/” for key. She had some problems with her English communication skills back then because of her heavy Visayan accent.

As for Ms. Silver, “My role model is my elder sister, who has a degree in Electrical Engineering. My sister became our breadwinner since both of my parents were too elderly to financially assist me when I started college, and for that, I am grateful for all her sacrifices. She is one of those who really assisted me in becoming a Licensed Professional Teacher.” “I am actually more scared and obedient to her more than I am with my mother or father,” she added.

Ms. Silver is a graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Technology and Livelihood Education at University of Southeastern Philippines-Obrero Campus, Batch 2018.

She was an Engineering student before deciding to pursue teaching because she wanted to follow the footsteps of her sister, who was also an Engineering student at USEP at the time. For a year, she studied Mining Engineering. As an Engineering student, she had many setbacks. Ms. Silver shared, “I failed courses back then, which caused me to doubt my path and my abilities. Failing a course was a huge thing for me since I was not used to it. I was an honor student during my elementary school through high school. After a year of studying Mining Engineering, I decided to take a year off. I gave myself time to think about what I really wanted to accomplish with my life. That is when I remembered my childhood days. When I was young, I used to pretend to be a teacher and assist my younger sibling and younger neighbors. That is when I realized that I always find fulfillment whenever I share my knowledge with others. That is when I decided to go back studying again and become a teacher.”

Ms. Silver found her happiness in her BSEd-TLE journey, and she also excelled in her academics and was a consistent Dean’s Lister. In June 2018, Ms. Silver got her Bachelor’s degree. She then took the board examination in September, and in December 2018, she got her Professional License. After the board examination, she applied to CNM BPO Solutions. She was hired as an Order Placer and worked there for several months. In June 2019, Ms. Silver tried her luck and applied to LPU-Davao. In July 2019, she was hired and got the TLE Teacher position in LPU-Davao Junior College. Ms. Silver is one of the pioneering teachers in LPU-Davao, and for her, “I was grateful for the opportunity. Despite having zero teaching experience aside from my experience during the field study, Ma’am Danica and Doc Biton gave me the chance to prove myself. On February 2020, during the first Gala Awards Night of LPU-Davao, I was recognized as the Top Perfomer Teacher in the Junior College Department.“

For Ms. Silver, “It is said that there is pleasure in giving, therefore there must be delight in teaching. The benefits of being a teacher include the joy and pride of seeing students learn and grow. Whenever I teach and guide these students, I find personal fulfillment. And yes, I am happy with LPU-Davao.”

When asked about her message to students despite the situation we are facing today, Ms. Silver said, “Take a pause if you need to. It will be very beneficial to you as you navigate through life. When you pause and reflect, that is when you will truly realize what matters. Sometimes, we are constantly trying to meet expectations that we lose the ability to listen to our inner selves. Again, life is not a race. Move forward at your own pace. “

“Don’t let fear of failure keep you from an opportunity. Just do it with confidence in God and yourself.”

“We are sometimes so scared of failure that we reject significant chances. When we allow fear to hold us back, we run the risk of missing out on wonderful possibilities. If I had allowed fear to overwhelm me at the time, I would not have been a member of the LPU-Davao family.”