Chapter 3

Early Education in Calamba and Bian

 Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Bian Four R s reading , writing, arithmetic, and religion The Hero s First Teacher
Her mother, Doa Teodora, was her first teacher At aged 3, he learned the alphabet and the prayers His mother was the first who discovered that he has talent for poetry and encouraged him to write poems

Private tutors:
Maestro Celestino Maestro Lucas Padua Leon Monroy lived in Rizal s home and taught him Spanish and Latin

 In June 1869, he left Calamba for Bian to enroll.

He was accompanied by Paciano Lived at his aunt s house

First day in Bian School

The school was in the house of the teacher, Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz It was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose s aunt Paciano was also under the teacher before

 First School Brawl

In the afternoon of his first day in school while teacher was having his siesta Jose was angry at Pedro (the bully) for making fun of him He challenged Pedro to a fight They wrestled in the classroom Jose learned wrestling from Tio Manuel He defeated Pedro and became popular Andres Salandanan challenged him to an armwrestling match but he lost In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Bian

 Painting Lessons in Bian

Near the school was a house of an old painter, named Juancho He spent many leisure hours at the painter s studio Juancho freely gave him lessons in drawing and painting Jose and Jose Guevarra became Juancho s apprentices They later became the favorite painters of the class

 Daily Life in Bian

Jose led a simple life which contributed much to his future development It strengthened his body and soul

Best Student in School

Jose beat all the Bian boys in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects His classmates were jelous of him They told lies to discredit him As a result, the teacher had to punish Jose

 End of Bian Schooling

Jose received a letter from Saturnina, informing the arrival of the steamer Talim which would take him from Bian to Calamba. He thought that he would not returned to Bian He prayed in the town church, collected pebbles as souvenier, and bade farewell to his teacher and classmates On December 17, 1872, he left Bian and passage on steamer Talim He met Arturo Camps, a Frenchman and a friend of his father, who took care of him

 Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za
On January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen rose in violent mutiny because of the abolition of their usual privileges 2 days later, it was suppressed by reinforcements from Manila On February 17, 1872, Fathers Gom-Bur-Za was executed Their martyrdom was deeply mourned by the Rizal family Paciano was enraged by th execution of Burgos, his friend, teacher, and housemate. He quit his studies and returned to Calamba. He told Jose about the heroic story of Burgos

 The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za inspired Jose to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people Later in 1891, he dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to Gom-Bur-Za

 Injustice to Hero s Mother

Before June of 1872, Doa Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose Alberto, tried to poision the latter s wife Jose Alberto had just returned from a business trip in Europe and found out that his wife was living with another man and abandoned their home and children. He planned to divorce her Doa Teodora persuaded him to forgive his wife The family trouble was settled and Jose Alberto lived again with his wife

 However, the evil wife filed a case in court accusing her husband and Doa Teodora of attempting to poison her The lieutenant and the gobernadorcillo, Antonio Vivencio del Rosario, arrested Doa Teodora The lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz (capital of Laguna Provincee), a distance of 50 km When she arrived at Santa Cruz, she was immediately imprisoned She spent 2 and a half years in the prison

By:
Palacio, Ma. Theresa L., S.N. (CCMC-CN)