In the town of Plaridel, Bulacan, a young girl once sat in the front row of her classroom, eyes fixed on her teacher, dreaming of the day she too would stand at the blackboard. That little girl grew up to be Dr. Maria Ana Polintan Galang, or simply “Ma’am Ana”, a name that now carries weight and warmth in the halls of Banga High School.
For 17 years, Ma’am Ana has devoted her life to teaching. To her, it has never been just a profession. It is, and has always been, a calling. She likens her journey to the transformation of a butterfly: fragile beginnings, struggles that shaped her, and a graceful emergence into a role where she could touch countless lives.
“Choosing Science, specifically Biology, was never a random decision. Dahil ito ang sinasabi ng aking puso. It is all about life, living organisms, and I want to become part of my students’ journey as they learn more about Biology,” she shares.
Her passion was also rooted in love and legacy. “Fulfilling a dream my late father always had for me, I pursued higher education with purpose and dedication,” Ma’am Ana recalls. That perseverance bore fruit in June 2023 when she earned her Doctorate in Philosophy, and just six months later, she was promoted to the rank of Master Teacher.
In 2024, her journey of growth continued when she joined the Security Bank Foundation’s Mentoring Future Leaders for Nation-Building program, specifically for junior high school Science teachers organized by De La Salle Philippines and De La Salle University–Dasmariñas. For her, it was a turning point, an experience that reminded her of the evolving needs of learners and deepened her commitment to teaching not just “what to learn”, but “how to learn”. She describes the training as “pabuti nang pabuti, paganda nang paganda, pagaan nang pagaan at paangat nang paangat sa buhay”, words that mirror her own transformation as an educator and leader.
Inside her classroom and the science laboratory she helped revitalize, learning takes on a new life. Her students no longer just memorize theories, they experience them. Guided by her training, she introduced a laboratory improvement plan called Making Changes in the Science Laboratory: Walking Through the Process, which transformed the lab into a safe and inspiring space where curiosity thrives. Here, the scientific method is no longer confined to textbooks but comes alive in the hands of students eager to explore and discover.
Complementing this, her mentoring plan focuses on helping fellow Science teachers become adept and knowledgeable in the proper guidelines and etiquette of laboratory use, ensuring that the spirit of inquiry extends well beyond her own classroom.
“My goal is to make use of our science laboratory not just for traditional experiments, but also for student-led investigations,” she highlights. Caleb, along with his Grade 7 classmates, was amazed when Ma’am Ana introduced the Make-roscope, a small keychain microscope that clips onto a phone and magnifies up to 400 times. Even though their school already had a compound microscope, this little tool made science feel fresh and exciting. For Ma’am Ana, seeing her students so eager for “science time” is proof that simple, hands-on activities can spark a real love for learning.
Through Ma’am Ana’s efforts, the school’s science laboratory, which had been largely unused due to limited equipment and lack of expert guidance, was revived and transformed into a functional space for meaningful learning.
Recognition has come her way: Outstanding Teacher of the Year, Students’ Choice Awards, Kahanga-hangang Guro sa Kahusayan sa Pagtuturo and Kahanga-hangang Guro sa Pagiging Malikhain, and many more. Today, as Banga High School’s science laboratory continues to buzz with energy, Ma’am Ana remains at the center, steady, nurturing, and passionate, just as she was when she first stepped into a classroom 17 years ago. Her story is not just about teaching science; it is about shaping futures, inspiring resilience, and proving that one teacher’s passion can ripple through generations.
This Teachers’ Month, the story of Ma’am Ana Galang stands as a living testament: that behind every lesson, behind every student’s dream, and behind every educator who dares to hope, is a teacher whose wings—like a butterfly’s—carry the power to change the world.
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