A Filipino educator has brought attention to the troubling reality of teacher harassment after sharing inappropriate notes written by students. Cheska Reyes, a teacher in the Philippines, revealed several handwritten messages containing sexual propositions and inappropriate language directed at her.
The disturbing notes, written in Tagalog on school notebooks and booklets, contained explicit sexual suggestions toward the teacher. Some messages were brazenly written on class materials, including one with a Nelson Mandela quote about education ironically visible in the same image.
“This has been a year of firsts—some of which I never expected to encounter so early, or perhaps ever, in my teaching career,” Reyes shared in her open letter to fellow educators.
The teacher described how unprepared she was for this type of misconduct. “One of the hardest realities I faced this year was being subjected to sexual harassment. It’s something no one prepares you for when you walk into a classroom hoping to inspire and educate,” she explained.
Beyond the sexual harassment, Reyes detailed other challenges she encountered, including breaking up physical fights between students and managing damaged classroom materials, which she described as “physical reminders of chaos.”
Despite these difficulties, Reyes expressed her continued commitment to education. “I kept teaching, smiling when I could, checking in on students even when I felt drained, and reminding myself why I chose this path,” she wrote, concluding with a message to her students: “I hope you one day realize that even on my hardest days, I never stopped believing in you.”
