Only three words: Keep at it!

"Keep at it!", a phrase from one of the school’s esteemed and well-appreciated teachers. He is the definition of unusual, who always goes for the unusual, and always orders the unusual.

Meet Mr. Abelardo S. Aranil Jr., dearly known as Sir Aran. Sir Aran is a full-time faculty member and a Senior High School English Language and Literature Teacher in CIIT SHS, Inc., a branch of one of the top multimedia arts schools in the Philippines, CIIT College of Arts and Technology. Aside from educating young students, he is known to be a literary writer (in poetry and creative nonfiction), a cyclist, a mountaineer, and an activist for social change and equality. Other than that, sir often finds himself playing ML (Mobile Legends), and getting lost in the YouTube rabbit hole during his free time, but not only that of course! While some say “this” in the night and “that” in the morning, Sir Aran is an exception. 24/7 stanning Lady Gaga and 24/7 dedicating his time to education. Why not do both, right?

Sir Aran is also the adviser of Grade 12 - Rhythm, and is currently teaching Grade 12 students this school year. He sometimes jokes about being the one handling the subjects with the longest names, with English for Academic and Professional Purposes in the first semester, and 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World in the second semester. His way of teaching is fun, cheerful, and always tries to make his students become engaged at the topic at hand. It’s a bonus that he’ll try and sneak in Lady Gaga at any given moment.

He actively participates in school activities, such as this school year’s AGWIKASAN by serving as the speaker of the webinar entitled “BEKI-ness of the Filipino Tongue: The Existence and Status of Bekinese in the Philippines”, which talks and goes in-depth about gay language in general. He also did a cosplay of Patrizia Reggiani from “The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed” by Sara Gay Forden during the English Week and he swears to Gucci that people should go watch the film, except when you’re not 18 yet. Furthermore, he had a webinar during the 2nd Parent/Student ComeMustahan entitled “Keeping Up With the Gen Z: Exploring the minds of the current generation through their language”. It is a webinar that aims to help parents understand and reach out to the youth, which can be of great help with the generation gap.

Looking back at his journey, he was a voracious reader as a kid, which resulted in him learning how to love literature at a young age. Reading mythological and folklore masterpieces is what inspired him to teach English Language and Literature, also because he felt that teaching literature was fun.

“I believe that as a teacher we must teach students to dig deeper, if we are able to see beyond that, then we can call ourselves critical thinkers.” - Sir Aran

What inspires and motivates him are the students themselves, he said that seeing the students learn from him, and reading the feedback from the teacher evaluation, including the slightest response (words of affirmation) that he is doing very well assures him from his hard work. His goal is striving to become a better version of himself, and he uses student admiration and motivation from his superiors as a way to achieve this goal. He said, “Whenever people affirm you are good at something, you will do better.”

His advice to future literature students is to keep at it. Some people feel intimidated when reading a book or anything that has a huge wall of text in it, but Sir Aran advised to not feel pressured when this problem arises. It could be a factor, but it must not be a hindrance. It is not about learning, it is about learning how to love reading.

“Our only biggest enemy is ourselves, and the only person we should defeat is our former selves. We should strive to become a better version of ourselves.” - Sir Aran

What can you say about the English language compared to other languages?

“The English language opens many possibilities and opportunities to people. I am saying that being knowledgeable in English can open avenues and maximize our capabilities. Dapat kapag magaling ka mag-English, magaling ka rin sa Filipino. I view them equally in terms of richness.”

How can you increase the engagement of the youth in literature?

“Read voraciously, practice more, and expose yourselves to good literature. Do not shy away from the texts na medyo mahirap intindihin, nasasanay kapag iniiwasan.”

Sir Aran has faced many challenges in his life, both as a literature teacher and as a person, but his perseverance and determination are what helped him get through those obstacles. Having the students as an inspiration and garnering motivation from his superiors, one of which is Miss Miriam, is what drives him to become a better version of himself and what helps him overcome the hurdles life throws at him. He doesn’t let a soul in the world tell him that he can’t be exactly who he is, and you should too!