12/09/2026
HONEST ANSWER ✏️
“Hindi ko po alam.”
Instead of guessing, copying, or pretending to know the answer, one student chose to write those four words on a Science examination, and received an encouraging response from the teacher.
Teacher Jamoi Ray Vedasto shared the test paper after noticing the student’s note beside a computation item. The learner scored 25 out of 50 and admitted that they did not know how to solve part of the examination.
“Ok nak... aralin natin ulit. Salamat sa pagiging honest,” Vedasto wrote on the paper.
The exchange gained attention online, with many praising both the student’s honesty and the teacher’s decision to respond with reassurance rather than embarrassment or punishment.
Vedasto explained that the test was a first-quarter examination taken after students had spent around two years without regular face-to-face classes during the pandemic. She said many learners were still experiencing difficulties, particularly with some of the computations required in Science.
For her, admitting “I don’t know” was already an important step because it showed that the learner recognized where they were struggling.
She added that teachers also need to reassure learners that not knowing something yet is acceptable, because they are still trying and the lesson can be taught again.
What looked like an unanswered test item ultimately became a reminder that assessment does more than measure what a learner knows. Sometimes, it also reveals exactly where teaching needs to continue.