Chapter 16-The Ranking
1522 Words
The list had been posted for three days.
Lena still checked it every morning.
Not because she expected her name to disappear.
She just wanted to see it again.
ELENA MARQUEZ
There it was.
Among the names of applicants who had submitted their documents for the DepEd selection process.
For years, Lena had imagined what it would feel like to see her name connected to the Department of Education.
Now that it was finally there, she discovered something unexpected.
She was nervous.
Very nervous.
At St. Clare Learning Center, the school day continued as usual.
The bell rang.
Students entered.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Someone forgot a pencil.
Someone else asked whether they could go to the restroom.
And someone in the back of the room whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Lena smiled.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, Ma'am Lena!”
She began the lesson.
But somewhere in the back of her mind was the list.
The application.
The ranking.
The possibility of a new school.
A new position.
A new beginning.
And the possibility of leaving the school where she had learned how to become a teacher.
During lunch, Carla sent her a message.
CARLA: Have you checked the announcement?
LENA: Which one?
CARLA: The schedule.
Lena immediately opened the message.
There it was.
The next stage of the selection process had been scheduled.
Documents would be reviewed.
Applicants would be evaluated.
Points would be given according to the prescribed criteria.
The process that had once felt like something far away was becoming real.
Lena stared at the screen.
CARLA: Nervous?
Lena typed.
LENA: Very.
A few seconds later, Carla replied.
CARLA: Same.
Lena smiled.
At least she wasn't the only one.
That afternoon, they met at a small café near the school.
Carla placed her phone on the table.
“Okay,” she said. “Let's talk honestly.”
Lena raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds scary.”
“It is.”
They both laughed.
Carla opened the checklist they had prepared.
“Education.”
“Complete.”
“LET.”
“Complete.”
“Certificates.”
“Some.”
“Teaching experience.”
Lena paused.
“One school year isn't much.”
Carla shrugged.
“But it's still experience.”
Lena nodded.
They continued checking.
Then Carla looked at her.
“Do you know how many applicants there are?”
“No.”
“A lot.”
“That doesn't help.”
“I know.”
Lena laughed.
For a moment, they were just two young teachers sitting across from each other, trying to understand a process that could determine where their careers would go next.
Carla leaned back.
“You know what scares me?”
“What?”
“That there are applicants who have been teaching longer than us.”
Lena nodded.
“That scares me too.”
“And some probably have more training.”
“Probably.”
“More experience.”
“Definitely.”
Carla looked at her.
“So what do we do?”
Lena thought for a moment.
“We submit what we have.”
Carla smiled.
“That's it?”
“That's it.”
“Very inspirational.”
“I try.”
They laughed again.
But after the laughter faded, Lena looked down at her papers.
She knew there was truth in Carla's concern.
They were young.
They were not the most experienced applicants.
They could not control how many people were applying.
They could not control how others performed.
They could only prepare.
That night, Lena sat at the dining table with her documents spread in front of her.
Rosa brought her a glass of water.
“You've been looking at those papers for an hour.”
Lena smiled.
“I'm checking them again.”
“You already checked them.”
“I know.”
“Then why check again?”
Lena looked at the documents.
“Because I'm nervous.”
Rosa sat beside her.
“About what?”
“What if I'm not enough?”
Rosa was quiet for a moment.
Then she asked, “Enough for what?”
“To get the position.”
Rosa looked at her.
“Lena, you are applying for an opportunity. You are not being asked to prove that your entire life has value.”
Lena smiled faintly.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Lena laughed.
“I'm trying to.”
Rosa touched the stack of papers.
“You have studied. You passed your exam. You have worked. You have learned. You have made mistakes and corrected them.”
Lena listened.
“You have something to offer,” Rosa continued. “Whether they choose you or not doesn't erase that.”
Lena nodded.
“Thank you, Ma.”
Rosa stood.
“Now stop staring at those papers.”
“Why?”
“Because they are not going to change their answers.”
Lena laughed.
The following week, the evaluation process began.
Lena arrived at the designated venue early.
There were already many applicants.
Some held folders.
Others reviewed documents.
A few quietly talked with friends and colleagues.
Lena suddenly became aware of how young she was.
She looked around.
There were teachers who appeared more experienced.
Teachers who spoke confidently about their years in service.
Teachers carrying certificates and folders filled with training records.
For a moment, Lena felt small.
She looked at her own folder.
It suddenly seemed too thin.
Carla arrived beside her.
“Don't look at everyone else's folder.”
Lena turned.
“How did you know?”
“Because I was doing the same thing.”
Lena laughed.
“Okay.”
Carla smiled.
“We're here. That's what matters.”
They entered together.
The process was orderly.
Documents were checked.
Questions were asked.
Records were reviewed.
Applicants waited.
Lena answered what she could and honestly admitted when she needed clarification.
She reminded herself not to rush.
Not to pretend.
Not to compare.
Just do her part.
When the evaluation was finished, she stepped outside.
She took a deep breath.
Carla came out a few minutes later.
“How did it go?”
“I don't know.”
“Same.”
They stood quietly for a moment.
Then Carla smiled.
“At least it's over.”
“For this part.”
“For this part.”
They laughed.
Several days later, an updated list was posted.
Lena stood in front of the announcement board.
Her heart beat faster as she searched the names.
She found hers.
ELENA MARQUEZ
She looked at the details beside her name.
Her points.
Her ranking.
She read them twice.
Then a third time.
She wasn't at the top.
But she wasn't at the bottom either.
She was somewhere in between.
She felt relieved.
Then uncertain.
Then relieved again.
Carla found her name too.
They looked at each other.
“We made it to the next stage,” Carla said.
Lena smiled.
“Looks like it.”
But the celebration was quieter than she expected.
Because the list had shown them something.
There were many qualified teachers.
Many people had worked hard.
Many had years of experience.
And the competition was real.
That afternoon, Lena returned to her classroom.
Her students were working quietly on an activity.
She watched them for a moment.
This classroom had changed her.
Here, she had learned how to manage noise.
How to explain the same idea in different ways.
How to listen.
How to apologize.
How to accept criticism.
How to ask for help.
How to admit mistakes.
She had entered St. Clare wanting experience.
She had received something more valuable.
She had begun becoming a teacher.
The thought made her wonder whether leaving would be difficult.
Then she reminded herself why she had started.
She had always dreamed of teaching in a public school.
This opportunity mattered.
She couldn't be afraid of moving forward simply because she had grown attached to where she began.
Before going home, Lena opened her notebook.
She wrote:
Today I learned that being qualified doesn't mean being certain.
She paused.
Then continued.
There will always be people who know more than I do.
There will always be people with more experience.
That doesn't mean I have nothing to offer.
She looked at the page.
Then wrote one more line.
I will compete with others fairly, but I will not make their journey the measurement of mine.
Lena closed the notebook.
Outside, the sun was beginning to set.
She picked up her bag.
The future was no longer just a dream.
It was becoming a possibility.
And with every step forward, Lena was beginning to understand that opportunities did not only test what a person could achieve.
Sometimes, they tested how a person handled uncertainty.
She walked toward the school gate.
Behind her, the familiar classrooms remained.
Ahead of her was a path she could not yet see clearly.
For the first time, Lena realized that moving forward could be both exciting and frightening.
She didn't know where her name on the list would eventually take her.
But she knew one thing.
She was ready to find out.
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