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THE UNIVERSITY honored literature professor Milagros Tanlayco through paying homage to her remarkable contributions in the field of humaniti es at the third National Conference on the Teaching of Literature held at the Graduate School last May 9 and
10.
“Inang” as she was fondly called at the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets), Tanlayco managed to inspire her students to teach literature to the younger generati on.
“Her impeccable academic standards inspired us to reach greater heights in our own professional career,” said Artlets dean Michael Anthony Vasco.
Tanlayco was best remembered to have fondly used words such as “darn”, “creature”, and “doña”. Later on, literature professors
Susana Macapagal and Ferdinand Lopez would mimic her in their respective class discussions.
Former UST professor Eva Kalaw recalled that “Tanlayco teaches the subject with good memory and did not use any notes or guides.”

She added that the professor even kept the class in full att enti on even if it lasted for three long hours. “How can I ever forget Tanlayco who mentored me not only by words but also by example on how to be a competent literature teacher?” Kalaw said.
Francis Gomez, who held teaching posts before at the Ateneo de Manila University, shared it was Tanlayco who inspired him to become a professor and to quit his job as a public relati ons practi ti oner. According
to him, imparti ng his knowledge to the younger generati on is his way of showing grati tude to “Inang”. “Given what these people say of her, literature goes to show that students think of their effi cient teachers with a sense of recogniti on. Those who touched their humanity, they remember with grati tude,” said Luz Urquiola, Languages Coordinator at the AMV-College of Accountancy.
The event was marked by a series of testi monials for the honoree and the opening of the Tanlayco Exhibit. Prepared activities included plenary lectures and teaching demonstrations.

Mirror of values

With the theme From the Classical to the Contemporary: Literature as Mirror of Values, speakers in the conference highlighted the importance of literature in the fi eld of humanities.
Keynote lectures were given by Nati onal Artist for Literature Franciso Sionil-Jose and UST Publishing House director Cristi na Pantoja-Hidalgo. Professors Oscar Campomanes and Danilo Francisco Reyes from the Ateneo also graced the event.
Sionil-Jose claimed it is only literature “that teaches people ethics” and “that makes the very solid foundation of a nation.”
“Don’t assign those boring novels to your students,” he said, referring to Ulysses, one of the best novels considered in the century. “Anyone who said to have finished the Ulysses is either a liar or a masochist,” he
added.
Hidalgo acknowledged the problem about the younger generati on’s dislike for literature and said that the soluti on for this is to “get them interested,” adding that it is the professor’s job to “crash the barrier.” She said that If teachers are successful in doing so, they can assign students difficult readings and carry on further as long as the latt er is interested.
Campomanes added that literature is the only discipline wherein one can “think and speak about value,” and in return, these values shape the individual’s worth. “Literature teachers should be very careful what to teach to students since it forms the ethical and educati onal formati on of the young,” he said. “No amount
of undoing can fi ll the lapses students feel whenever they could not understand literature.”
The conference is the third installment in the Teaching of Literature conference series, the fi rst two were done in honor of literary icons Paz Latorena and Carolina Garcia, respectively.