Saw this in my memories 2 years ago. I remember it being so special because it was the first teacher's day that my students acknowledged me as Miss JanMell. Now that I have severed my ties with Pisay, I am looking back to say I am so proud for being the first transgender teacher

in the Philippine Science High School System, setting the stage for future trans teachers and inspiring my fellow trans sisters and brothers to have courage to fight a culture that oppresses and supresses trans and nonbinary identities. Until now, transwomen who work in education

are forced to wear men's clothes, and forced to accept being referred to in masculine titles for formality reasons. This seems to imply that transwomen are never formal and does not deserve a place in education and that who you really should not be brought to school grounds.

Nothing can be further from the truth. I've heard stories from fellow transwomen who have Educ degrees who are afraid to apply because they know they will not get hired for being trans, or if they want to, they should deny their identities. Denying your identity hinders your

realization of your potential and one cannot grow and develop in an environment hostile to your well-being. This is the plight of trans people and this is why most of us are stereotyped as parloristas, kudkod-afams, prostitutes. Not to say that I detest these jobs, it's just

that though these are perfectly valid ways to earn a living, trans people should know that there are other avenues to work, that opportunities normally available to cis people are also available for us and that we should not think that our transness is a disadvantage in these.

August 1, 2020 was my last day of service in Pisay-CMC. I remember enduring the stares, the snide remarks, the constant misgendering, the disrespect to my pronouns, the constant policing of my gender-affirming clothes. Until I eventually worked my way, accompanied by emotional

breakdowns, to make people at least think about me, notice my existence and begin to doubt if what they are doing is still applicable in this day and age
I am thankful to my students who were the first ones to realize that my identity is not an opinion and respects me as much

as I respect them, who I know, have similar struggles with me, too, trying to validate our existence and trying to make our voices heard by those who are in authority. It was July last year, when I was in effect escorted out of a convention because I wore a skirt, that I decided

to resign and pursue my PhD. I just thought that a mere MS would never make them respect me, I need something higher than that. I remember the words of one or my mentors, Dr. Arnold Lubguban, when I asked him, in tears, to help me apply for a PhD: "Let's get you out of there as

soon as possible."

My five years in Pisay is proof that change is possible if one fights for it, and if there are people who are willing to support you, true allies who believe in your cause.

My resignation is not an admission that I have no place in Pisay. Rather, I am aiming to develop myself further in order to effect a greater change and obtain power to hire more of my trans siblings in education and academia. This is my goal. And this will definitely happen.