Posted on March 30, 2022
by Christine V. Ordinario

Photo by: Sir Russel Owen Viloria

Statistics.
Statistics of the Asian Development Bank shows that in terms of global motorcycle usage, Asia scores the greatest number of registered motorcycles. A German database company that specializes in market and consumer data reveals in its study that in 2021, the number of motorcycles in the Philippines reached at least four million. Though there are no exact figures at hand indicating the male-female ratio of motorcycle ownership in the Philippines, mere observation will tell that most motorcycle riders, undeniably, are males. But in Pisay-CVC, breaking the all-boys motorcycle circle is one fearless, young lady: Ma’am Amorelle.

Sample.
Miss Amorelle Ortiz Sarmiento, simply Ma’am Amor, is one of the 27 female teachers of the 56 strong Curriculum and Instruction Division workforce. She is currently the teacher of Statistics for Grade 9 students and the class adviser of 9-Einsteinium. With a special assignment as Statistics Consultant, she is the go-to person of students (and teachers, too) for consultation regarding the research methodology and the statistical treatment of data of their research.

Probability.
What are the chances of a BS Statistics degree holder to choose teaching as a career? In the case of Ma’am Amor, statistically speaking, it is very low. Never did she imagine that she will land in the teaching profession. Though her mother was a teacher, she already knew early on that she’d rather take a different career path.

When she was younger, she dreamed of becoming a certified public accountant. Her admiration of her aunt’s career in the corporate world, as well as her expert budgeting skills inspired her to tick BS Accountancy as her top choice when she applied for the University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT). But through her uncle’s advice, and with her interest in Math, one of her favorite subjects, as her advantage, she pursued a Statistics degree at the University of the Philippines – Los Baños.

Ma’am Amor is the eldest and the only girl in the brood of four siblings. When she was a kid until she went to high school, she spent most of her days with her grandmother, making her a lola’s girl, and yes, the favorite apo. She was so close to her grandmother that they spent a lot of chill moments together. She still remembers that day when she and her lola were just relaxing and playing tong-its, a cards game sans the money bet. Her grandmother was so happy and glowing that day. Never did she know that such was their last tong-its sesh together. The loss of her grandmother who was so dear to her broke her heart. When she was about to enter college and was uncertain which course to pursue, she remembered her late grandmother and a sign dawned upon her. The tong-its that they used to play, a game of chances and probabilities, gave her the sign to take statistics – the fulfillment of her passion for math.

Consistently at the top of her class from Grade 1 until she graduated in high school, Ma’am Amor was optimistic she will survive college life. But when she was there, reality showed her that the trend of her high grades in high school is not always the same in college. There were times she would see her scores on the cover page of her blue book, in glaring red ink. With mounting frustrations, it came to a point when she felt her course was not for her and she was already on the brink of giving up and leaving UPLB.

One time, in their English class, they were asked to write an essay about the college course they are pursuing. Call it coincidence, but that time was only a few days before her dear lola’s death anniversary. She remembered her tong-its moments with her grandmother and used that game of chance as a metaphor in her written output. She aced that tong-its-inspired essay and realized it must be a sign from her lola speaking to her to get going and dismiss the thoughts of giving up. Moreover, her mother, a teacher and expert in dealing with students’ problems, gave her the support and boost that she needed. Her former teachers in high school also called her to cheer her up. In her fervent prayer, she said, “Lord, ikaw na ang bahala.” In no time, her motivation tank was refilled to the brim, and without any pressure or high expectations from her parents, Ma’am Amor was back, recharged and more determined.

Ma’am Amor did not dream of becoming a teacher but during their graduation ceremonies, she was moved by the speech of their professor who passionately spoke about teaching. After graduation, Ma’am Amor’s cover letter and resume found their way to Philippine Science High School – Cagayan Valley Campus. However, due to some lacking documents, her application at PSHS-CVC was parked for some time.

While she was completing the other documents required by Pisay, she found employment at DOST-CAR Regional Office in Baguio City where her knowledge and skills in statistics were applied in doing analysis. During the time that she was working in the City of Pines, she received a call from CVC and was asked if she was still interested with her application in Pisay. Inspired and prepared to be a teacher that time, she said yes, and now she’s on her sixth year with PSHS-CVC.

At present, Ma’am Amor is happy with her decision to join the roster of teachers of Pisay-CVC. When she finally decided to accept the Special Science Teacher position, she also accepted the challenge to hone her communication skills. Through the years, she has overcome her fear of speaking before crowds, and is now more outspoken and sociable. More importantly, she feels grateful that as a former Iskolar ng Bayan, she is now in a better position to give back to the country by serving the young generation with what she learned from her Alma Mater.

Averages, Motorcycles, and Amorelle. While most people know mean in statistics as simply the average, Ma’am Amor said mean, median, and mode are all AVERAGES, but each differ in function.  And while most people view genders with predetermined characteristics or traits, Ma’am Amor is definitely NOT the average girl. She is the only girl in campus who rides a motorcycle to work every single day. On the average, it takes 40 minutes for her to travel the 37.2 km-distance from home to school, and another 40 minutes of hitting the road again on her way home.

Her interest in riding motorcycle must have been influenced by her father who was driving motorcycle and tricycle since she was young. In 2017, her parents bought her younger brother his first motorcycle. Excited to drive her own, too, she treated herself with a new one which became her transport buddy, both for work and for leisure. In 2019, she bought a new NMAX unit she once named Maximus, which in statistics means highest value. Since then, Maximus brought her to places as far as Kiangan, Banaue, and Mayoyao in Ifugao, and Manaoag and Lingayen in Pangasinan.

Aware of the risks of motorcycle riding, she has been extra careful since the day she started driving and has never had any motorcycle-related accident or injury. Despite the risks, Ma’am Amor enjoys every minute of riding because it brings out her adventurous side, and the feeling that she is in control of the road is very liberating. Ma’am Amor looks forward to the day when she is driving her own Honda CVR, driving all the way to apo Whang-od in Buscalan, Kalinga, and treat herself with the latter’s signature tats.

Standard Deviation. Ma’am Amor is just like the other girls with the usual girl stuff – hobbies, interests and kilig moments. Most people do not know that she is a fur-mommy of two labradors and one shih tzu; that she is addicted to watching Korean dramas; and that she is a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors, in general, and of Klay Thompson, in particular. She is also a literary writer for quite some time now, and she still keeps her journal that holds her literary attempts.

But what separates her apart from the other girls is her interest in motorcycles. It takes a great deal of adrenalin rush and immense courage to brave the Maharlika Highway, wind the accelerator, and race with other wheels on the road. Ma’am Amor admits that it is not a typical girl thing to ride a motorcycle as that was what she usually hears from people. Because of that, she finds herself outside the normal distribution. She considers herself an outlier because she always deviates from the norm. In defense, she bravely said, “a deviation is not always a weakness. It can be a strength with which one can stand out and be great.”

Significant Difference. In a society where patriarchy is, in a way, defined by motorcycles, people have the misconception that motorcycles are only for men. Correspondingly, women on motorcycles speeding on the streets are still an uncommon sight for people who are viewing it from a patriarchal lens. But sometimes, to be different is more significant than just sitting within the normal curve. Ma’am Amor may just be one of the many variables, but she has a value that is significant, thus rejecting the null and breaking stereotypes.