“Transformation happens when you are open to learning from everywhere.”
I remember when I first walked into that Wednesday afternoon session in Term 3 of AY2023-2024. I thought I knew what being a university professor meant. After all, I had a passion for teaching. What I didn’t realize was how much I still had to learn about becoming De La Salle University’s “Lasallian Learning Leader,” or that the journey would involve so much pansit.
Yes, the “walang-kamatayang” pansit that seemed to appear at every session became our running joke. But beyond the predictable merienda (though we were always genuinely grateful for the free food), what made the Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) truly memorable were the unfamiliar faces across different departments who gradually became familiar friends, confidants, and fellow travelers on this journey.
The program was not just another requirement to tick off for permanency. It became a transformative journey that reshaped how I understood education in the 21st century. Nothing captured this transformation better than our overnight formation in Pampanga. I want to put meaning to that museum tour, where we encountered what became one of the most memorable “lessons” of the program, though it came from an unexpected source. A Kapampangan stranger, who happened to be visiting the museum at the same time, somehow comfortably attached himself to our group and began overwhelming our tour guide with questions. His enthusiasm, though causing discomfort to many, was contagious, and his questions so persistent, that we jokingly dubbed him our honorary classmate. Here was someone who embodied the essence of lifelong learning the program was trying to instill in us.
This unexpected “classmate” reminded us that learning happens everywhere, and that everywhere is a classroom. Sometimes, the most profound insights come from the most unexpected sources. The ALDP was teaching us to be open to knowledge from all directions, and here was the universe providing a walking, talking, question-asking example.
The formal formation sessions, prayers, sharing, and reflections gave way to an unforgettable karaoke night. There I was, introvertedly shy, but naturally belting out Gary Valenciano hits, overreaching Air Supply’s high notes, and perhaps most memorably, effortlessly channeling Freddie Mercury with Queen’s “Too Much Love Will Kill You,” a song that seemed ironically appropriate given how overwhelming the ALDP experience sometimes felt. I may seem to be over-illustrating, but I leave that fellowship night to your imagination as I left my spectators in awe.
The traditional image of the professor as the “sage on the stage” crumbled during these moments. We learned to become designers of learning environments, coaches who facilitate learning, and co-learners in the educational process. If our enthusiastic Kapampangan museum “classmate” taught us that students come in all forms, karaoke night taught us that, teachers, too, must be willing to step outside their comfort zones.
If there was one session that, for me, crystallized what the ALDP was trying to teach about transformative education, it was “the” Dr. Tereso Tullao. His lecture – though “lecture” seems too formal a word for what he delivered – was arguably one of the most, if not the most, funny learning experiences I had. Dr. Tullao didn’t just teach; he performed, engaged, and entertained, all while delivering his battle-hardened experiences in education as an academic scholar. Well, aside from being historically “the owner” of De La Salle, as he jokingly remarked, he exemplified what it meant to be an entertainer with a big heart for teaching.
He proved that academic rigor and entertainment aren’t mutually exclusive, that you can discuss theories and equations as you keep your audience awake and excited. I left his session informed and inspired, thinking, “This is the kind of educator I want to become (to be an “owner” of La Salle).”
As I complete my ALDP experience, I carry with me what I learned and the living examples of educational excellence. For my fellow educators my advice is this: pay attention to everything and everyone. Your greatest teachers might be the resource persons who redefine what lectures can be, the strangers who crash your museum tours, or the colleagues who become friends over karaoke and the undying pansit. Transformation happens when you are open to learning from everywhere.
Adrian A. Mabalay is a faculty member at DLSUs Department of Management and Organization, and a recent graduate of ALDP Batch 21. He can be reached at adrian.mabalay@dlsu.edu.ph.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.
