Engr. Herman Lagon
Molding young writers
Herman in school uniform
* Lagon says that students should be smart and brave enough to learn from their mistakes. "High school is like a laboratory. You have the right to make juvenile mistakes, but make sure to find some sense out of the experience."
When he applied for work as a teacher in Ateneo de Iloilo, Engr. Herman Lagon sported a pigtail and wore a rugged get-up. Fortunately, the school administrator looked past the way he appeared and considered that this young man could contribute a lot in their thrust of molding students as better individuals.
Well, he was hired and the pigtails and the rugged clothes were history.
Lagon proved his worth six years after by becoming the Most Outstanding Secondary School Teacher in Western Visayas in 2007, by the Private Secondary School Administrators of the Philippines (PRISSAAP). He is also about to receive this May the Harvest of Excellence Award for Teachers from DepEd.
He also became the Most Outstanding School Paper Adviser of Western Visayas in 2006 by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and first in 10 awardees from both high school and college. The Department of Education also bestowed on him the honor of being the Most Outstanding Secondary School Campus Paper Adviser of the Philippines in 2005. He is presently the moderator of Ripples, the official school publication of Ateneo de Iloilo High School Department, and trainer of grade school's Pebbles.
Herman with co-teachers in an Educational Field
Trip in Malagos Farm, Davao City April this year.
This PRC licensed civil engineer and science teacher worked with newspapers, including The Manila Times, before he became a mentor. With his stint in Ateneo de Iloilo, he was able to continue his writing and this time, he is molding young students to become better campus journalists and better persons for others.
He had no regrets "leaving" the fast-paced life of a professional journalist. "Here I could do two things at the same time. I feel secured morally, especially with my ever-supportive AdI co-teachers and administrators always at my side. Indeed, teaching is one of the noblest vocations there is. It is an end in itself," he said.
On what lesson he could impart to his students, Lagon said that they should be smart and brave enough to learn from their mistakes. "High school is like a laboratory. You have the right to make juvenile mistakes, but make sure to find some sense out of the experience."
Lagon also stressed that, "it's not enough that you get "A" marks or win medals. Education per se is a living organism. So, everyday, one should evolve quickly--get high grades and rake awards of it is God's will--but without necessarily neglecting his duty to serve others."
"This is also true in journalism."
The bubbly Lagon, to note, has been training students of AdI in journalism and creative writing since 2002. His training ethics and approach have resulted to hundreds of individual and group awards in various categories and contests up to the national level.
Herman with Ripples editors and PDI columnist
Conrado de Quiros in one of the Daily Inquirer
2bU!'s seminars in Makati City last 2006.
With the push-button generation that we are in now, Lagon laments there will always be gifted students who are disoriented, lackluster, and who are in need of special attention.
"But that's what's so good about this piece of work. You get to facilitate both their flawed or fine experiences; you get to mold them; you get to make necessary interventions to make them better, gung-ho, creative, self-reliant, critical, service-oriented and discerning persons."
Thirty-old Lagon continues to enrich his knowledge. He surfs the Internet a lot. He visits informative sites like newspapers and sports-related sites (he's the media liaison of the Iloilo Basketball League). He is also occasionally being requested to train budding writers in journalism and tutor students in math and science. While he is about to finally defend his thesis in MA in Science, he is also 6 units away from finishing his Master in Business Administration in University of Iloilo.
He is married to Ivy Angayen Lagon, and they have two daughters, Psyche Mae and Parvane Mae, both enrolled in Ateneo de Iloilo.
Lagon is presently AdI's physics teacher and supervisor for the high school science department. He is also a columnist of five different local newspapers in town, including The News Today.