Early EducationIn Calamba and Biñan
The firstteacher of Rizal was his mother. From Teodora, Rizal learned at the age ofthree the alphabet and the prayers. As Jose grew older, his parent employedprivate tutor to give him lessons at home. The first was maestro Celestino andthe second maestro Lucas Padua and later on Leon Monroy. After the death ofLeon Monroy, the hero’s parent decided to send Rizal to a private school inBiñan. In June 1869 Jose left Calamba for Biñan. Rizal was brought to theschool of maesro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. In the afternoon of his first day ofschool Rizal challenges Pedro for making fun of him in the morning. The twoboys wrestled furiously. Rizal defeated Pedro and for his feat became popularamong his classmate. After the class in the afternoon a classmate AndresSalandan challenge him to an arm wrestling loss and nearly cracked his head ofon the sidewalk. In the succeeding days he had other fight with Biñan boys.Near the school was the house of an old painter named Juancho. Juancho gavefree lessons in drawing and painting and was impressed by artistic talent ofRizal. The martyrdom of GOMBURZA in 1872 inspired Rizal to fight the evils ofSpanish tyranny and redeemed his oppresses people. Before June of 1872 tragedystruck the Rizal family. Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a maliciouscharged that she and her brother Jose Alberto tried to poison the latter’swife. After arresting Doña Teodora, she was forced to walk from Calamba to Sta.Cruz, a distance of 50 kilometers. In Sta. Cruz she was incarcerated at theprovincial prison for two and a half years until she was acquitted of thealleged crime.
Subject: Early Education In Calamba and Biñan 
Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:55 am
