Chapter 2-The First Step
1585 Words
The next morning, Lena woke up before her alarm.
For several seconds, she stared at the ceiling, trying to remember why she felt nervous.
Then she remembered.
The application.
She sat up.
Today, she was going to apply for her first teaching job.
Not DepEd.
Not yet.
But it was a start.
She dressed carefully, choosing a simple blouse and a dark skirt. She checked herself in the mirror twice before stepping away.
“You look fine,” Rosa said from the doorway.
Lena turned.
“How did you know I was checking?”
“Because you've been standing there for five minutes.”
Lena laughed.
“I'm nervous.”
“That's normal.”
“What if they don't accept me?”
“Then you apply somewhere else.”
Lena smiled.
Her mother's answer was always the same.
Rest.
Then try again.
She picked up her folder containing her résumé, certificates, transcript, and LET-related documents.
At the door, Rosa called after her.
“Lena.”
She turned.
“Don't try too hard to impress them.”
Lena frowned.
“Then what should I do?”
“Be honest.”
Lena nodded.
“Okay.”
“And remember—you're applying for a job, not begging for one.”
That made Lena smile.
“Yes, Ma.”
Outside, the morning air was cool.
Carla was already waiting near the corner.
She wore a blouse similar to Lena's and carried a folder against her chest.
“You're late.”
“I'm two minutes late.”
“Two minutes is late.”
“You're acting like a principal already.”
Carla laughed.
“Come on, Teacher.”
They walked toward the town center together.
For the first time, the word teacher sounded different.
Yesterday, it had been a celebration.
Today, it felt like a responsibility.
The private school stood behind a low concrete wall painted with faded colors. Its name was printed above the gate in large letters.
It was smaller than either of them had imagined.
There were only a few buildings, a covered court, and a narrow pathway leading toward the main office.
Lena stopped at the gate.
“This is it.”
Carla nodded.
“This is it.”
They looked at each other.
Then both laughed.
“Why are we nervous?” Carla asked.
“Because we're actually doing it.”
They entered.
Inside the office, a woman looked up from her desk.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Ma'am,” Lena said.
“We're here to apply for the teaching position,” Carla added.
The woman smiled.
“Are you both LET passers?”
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
She handed them application forms.
As Lena filled hers out, she looked around the office.
There was a bulletin board covered with schedules, announcements, and handwritten reminders.
A stack of folders leaned against one wall.
A printer hummed in the corner.
It didn't look like the school she had imagined during her LET review.
It looked ordinary.
Almost too ordinary.
And yet, Lena felt something she couldn't explain.
This was the beginning.
After submitting their forms, they were asked to wait.
Twenty minutes later, Lena's name was called.
“Ms. Marquez?”
She stood immediately.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Please come in.”
The interview room was small.
A woman sat behind a desk.
“I'm Mrs. Villareal, the school administrator.”
“Good morning, Ma'am.”
“Have a seat.”
Lena sat.
Her hands were cold.
Mrs. Villareal looked through her résumé.
“You recently passed the LET?”
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you have teaching experience?”
Lena hesitated.
“Not formal teaching experience, Ma'am. I've had practice teaching during college.”
The administrator nodded.
“Why do you want to teach?”
Lena had prepared several answers the night before.
But now, sitting across from someone who might decide whether she would get her first job, every prepared sentence disappeared.
She took a breath.
“Because I want to.”
Mrs. Villareal looked at her.
Lena continued.
“I've always wanted to become a teacher. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm willing to learn.”
The administrator smiled slightly.
“That's honest.”
Lena smiled nervously.
“I'm also hoping to gain experience before applying for DepEd.”
There was no reaction on the administrator's face.
“That's understandable.”
She turned another page.
“This position involves more than teaching.”
“I understand.”
“Lesson planning, checking papers, meetings, school activities, communicating with parents, and other responsibilities.”
Lena nodded.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“You're twenty-one?”
“Yes.”
“You're young.”
Lena felt her stomach tighten.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Are you confident you can handle a classroom?”
For a moment, Lena thought of the classroom she had imagined all those years.
Rows of students.
A clean blackboard.
A perfect lesson.
Everyone listening.
Everyone smiling.
She knew better than to describe that fantasy.
“I don't know yet,” she answered.
Mrs. Villareal raised an eyebrow.
Lena quickly continued.
“But I'm willing to learn. And I know I won't become a good teacher if I refuse to learn from my mistakes.”
The administrator studied her for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“That's a better answer.”
When Lena left the room, Carla immediately stood.
“How was it?”
“I think I survived.”
“What did she ask?”
“Everything.”
Carla laughed.
“My turn.”
“Good luck.”
“Don't scare me.”
“You'll be fine.”
While Carla entered the interview room, Lena sat on a wooden bench outside.
She looked at the students passing through the hallway.
Some were laughing.
Some were running.
One boy hurried past while trying to finish something in his notebook.
A teacher called after him.
“Slow down!”
Lena smiled.
It was a small scene.
Nothing important.
And yet, she found herself watching.
This was the world she had wanted to enter.
Not the imagined version.
The real one.
No dramatic music.
No perfect classroom.
Just children, teachers, noise, deadlines, and ordinary mornings.
Carla came out after several minutes.
“So?”
Carla grinned.
“I think I did okay.”
“Did they ask about experience?”
“Yes.”
“What did you say?”
“That I have none.”
Lena laughed.
“You're impossible.”
“I told the truth.”
“Good.”
They waited another fifteen minutes before the administrator called them back.
“We're willing to accept both of you.”
Lena's eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Carla looked at Lena.
Lena looked at Carla.
Neither spoke.
“We'd like you to start next week,” Mrs. Villareal continued.
“Thank you, Ma'am,” Lena said quickly.
“There is one more thing.”
Both girls became serious.
“The salary is ₱2,500 twice a month.”
Lena already knew.
Still, hearing it officially made the number feel different.
Carla nodded.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
Lena followed.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“You understand?”
“Yes.”
The administrator gave them a final smile.
“Then welcome to the school.”
Outside the office, they stood silently.
Then Carla grabbed Lena's arm.
“We got jobs.”
Lena laughed.
“We did.”
“Our first teaching jobs.”
“I know.”
“We're officially teachers.”
Lena smiled.
But beneath the excitement was something else.
Fear.
The kind that came when a dream finally stopped being a dream.
That afternoon, Lena returned home carrying her folder.
Rosa was waiting.
“Well?”
Lena placed the folder on the table.
“I got accepted.”
Her mother's face lit up.
“You did?”
Lena nodded.
“I start next week.”
Rosa hugged her.
“I knew you could do it.”
Lena smiled against her shoulder.
Then she pulled away.
“Ma…”
“Yes?”
“The salary is really small.”
Rosa smiled.
“I know.”
“₱2,500 twice a month.”
“I know.”
“That's only ₱5,000 a month.”
“I know, anak.”
Lena looked worried.
“What if I'm not good enough?”
Rosa held her hands.
“Then you learn.”
“What if I make mistakes?”
“You will.”
Lena stared at her.
Her mother smiled.
“Everyone does.”
The answer wasn't what Lena expected.
But somehow, it made her feel better.
That night, Lena opened a notebook and wrote on the first page:
MY FIRST YEAR AS A TEACHER
Underneath it, she wrote:
Learn.
Improve.
Be patient.
Do not give up.
She stared at the words.
Then she added one more.
Remember why you started.
She closed the notebook.
The next week, she would stand in front of her first class.
For years, she had imagined students calling her Ma'am Lena.
Now the moment was finally coming.
And suddenly, she wasn't sure whether she was ready.
But perhaps readiness wasn't the absence of fear.
Perhaps it was choosing to walk through the school gate anyway.
Lena turned off the light.
Tomorrow would bring another ordinary morning.
But for her, nothing would feel ordinary anymore.
Because soon, the bell would ring.
And when it did, she would have to answer.
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