Retired teacher wins hearts for giving free lessons to kids on the street

A retired teacher has stolen hearts on the internet after photos of him teaching the local kids in his community on the street made the rounds on social media.

For over thirty years, Delfin Angeles taught physics and integrated science in the Philippine Science High School, a specialized public high school with an intensive math and science curriculum for its students that can pass its competitive entrance exam. Now retired from the profession, he has taken to educating the children in his neighborhood in Santa Ana, Manila, calling it Eskwelahang Munti (Little School).

The roots of his “little school” began one day when Angeles was tending to his garden by the street. A few curious children approached him and began asking him questions.

“As I water and tend my plants by the street sides, children came around asking me, ‘lolo, anong plant yan?’ (Grandfather, what plant is that?),” he shared on Facebook. “I got to know them and at random I ask them, ‘6×7? or 8+7?’ or to say something in English. One day, they said ‘lolo, turuan mo kami’ (Grandfather, please teach us.)”

Angeles has since started holding “face-to-face classes” for his streetside lectures, preparing math, science, and English lessons for the children. 

“I asked friends for old pencils, ball pens, crayons. I cut cardboard boxes to A4 size, from the grocery, to make clipboards for writing,” he shared. 

Angeles added, “Since then, they have ceased calling me lolo. Now, it is, ‘teacher!’”

In another comment, the retired teacher shared that the idea just came to him when the children had asked him to teach them. “They are kids who play practically the whole day. There were times, someone would come to me, asking for 5 pesos; to buy little snacks. other times, they ask for biscuits when they see me in the street tending my plants. So when they asked me to teach them, we got started.”

Photos of Angeles teaching the children have been shared over 13,000 times under the page Akap Guro Connected, with most of his former students praising his act and many offering to donate supplies.

“God bless you Teacher Delfin. You are a true teacher. Such dedication,” one commenter said.

“It’s such a privilege to have been your student,” another said.