First Teacher

by: Alamid

Jose "Pepe" Rizal was the seventh child of Teodora Alonso Realonda and Francisco

Mercado Rizal. He was just like us, who had many beautiful memories when we were young.

His mother became his first mentor and encouraged him to write poems even when he was so

young. Almost without the use of books, he learned. Apart from his mother, his three uncles,

who are uncle Gregorio, uncle Jose and uncle Manuel also mentored him and influenced Jose

Rizal's early education.

We must appreciate him not just because he is our national hero but because we can also learn from him. As a child, Jose Rizal was so determined to gain knowledge and wisdom. It should be one of our inspirations and motivations in life that through learning, we can really

create a big impact on the world. For me, having an early education that came from my mother

was a great chance because there was one who can guide and became my first teacher. It feels like it was the greatest challenge for me as a child because instead of playing outside, I was just at home, sitting there and my mother helped me to study so when I entered school I had a little knowledge of something. Also, not all of us are like the child Jose Rizal, but when we have the ability to do something, we must keep trying to learn from it until our work become better.