Early Life and Education of Jose Rizal

Early Education in Calamba, Laguna

• Dona Teodora Alonso Realonda was Jose Rizal's first teacher, discovering his talent in writing poems at a young age.
• By 3 years old, Rizal learned the alphabet, and by 5 years old, he could read, write, and create art.
• At 8 years old, Rizal wrote his first poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kababata".

Professors and Influences

• Rizal's professors included Meastro Celestino, Maestro Lucas Padua, Leon Monroy, and Maestro Justiano Aquino Cruz.

Ateneo Municipal de Manila (1872)

• Rizal studied alongside Spaniards, Mestizos, and Filipinos, but faced discrimination and racism due to his Filipino status.
• He became the "Classroom Emperor" and received a prize, a religious picture.
• Rizal graduated on March 23, 1877, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, achieving "sobresaliente" and receiving 5 medals.

University of Santo Tomas (April 1872)

• Rizal continued his education at UST, initially studying Philosophy and Letters, but later switching to a medical course.
• He was unhappy at UST due to the Dominican professors' unfriendly attitude, outdated instructional methods, and discriminatory treatment of Filipino students.

Academics in Spain (1882)

• Rizal secretly departed for Spain without his parents' knowledge, supported by his brother Paciano.
• He boarded the ship Salvador on May 3, 1882, and arrived in Madrid on November 3, 1882, where he enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid to pursue Medicine.
• Rizal completed all requirements for a Doctor of Medicine degree but did not receive his diploma due to not submitting his thesis and paying the necessary fees.

Additional Achievements

• Rizal developed a deeper understanding of human nature and felt a growing sense of responsibility towards his people during his time in Madrid.
• He became involved with the Circulo Hispano-Filipino group and wrote "El Amor Patrio" (The Love of Country), expressing his nationalist sentiments.
• Rizal published "The Indolence of the Filipinos" in La Solidaridad, countering Spanish criticisms by arguing that colonial policies and lack of incentives contributed to perceived Filipino indolence.

University of Paris and Berlin

• Rizal achieved a second doctorate in ophthalmology, furthering his academic achievements.
• He was honored by induction into the Berlin Anthropological Society and the Berlin Ethnological Society under the patronage of Rudolf Virchow.
• In 1887, at the age of 25, Rizal completed his specialization in ophthalmology under Prof. Otto Becker in Heidelberg.