Dear Once a Student,

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Spare me some of your time

I’d like to share to you my inspiration.

You see, I was brought to this unexpected destination,

as part of a system called education.

I’m not an expert in education.

My diploma is in communication

but I have always loved children,

always curious about their creation.

They have a different world, a universe of their own –

uncontaminated, untainted, unsophisticated.

But because of human nature, we – the adults,

demolished, insulted, neglected the freedom to be their own.

We call this process, EDUCATION.

This is my view, a letter to you.

Dear Once a Student,

Do you still remember the number of hours you sat still in a class?

that when you move or chat you are threatened not to pass?

Dear Teacher,

It is only through practice we can master our movements.

and just like you, we yearn the need to communicate.

To make the matter worse, we were trained

to be silent and to hear you.

Now, let me ask you,

“Were you ever curious about our view?”

Dear Once a Student,

Do you still remember the subjects we had?

Math and English in the primary years,

then they added Filipino, Science and history.

I thought it will never last.

I was right.

They added Values, MAPEH and TLE

And guess what? We memorized all the strokes, but never learned how to swim

We know honesty is the best policy,

but it is better to cheat than to displease the examiner

Dear Examiner,

We have learned all the words,

all adjectives and the verbs

even the synonyms and antonyms.

But after the exam, all to no avail.

Because our hearts yearn not for words,

but for the universe.

We have learned history, mathematics and geography

But we failed to learn the purpose of this reality.

Dear Once a Student,

Do you still remember the time when you wished to be number one?

You had friends and a lot of time

but you prefer to study alone and miss all the fun

because what is important is that number one.

Forget the other things just not that crown

Dear Teacher,

These other things are my childhood

life itself and its very root.

The adventures I should have had

The friends I should have met

The life I should have lived.

All for what? Number 1?

Competition is good but compassion is greater,

and its only on the other things we learn the latter.

So, you see,

We had values with NO people,

Excellence with NO reason

Education with NO illumination

We were put in a box of perfection and competition

Then shoved into the world that needs faith and compassion

Dear Once a Student,

Despite all these, you know when I say that there will always be one or two

educators that we considered true.

They give not exams, no lectures, none of the pressures

but only life stories – the real treasure

not lessons nor opinions

but rather, all forms of inspirations.

They give not just time but their lives.

A teacher once told me,

Life is an equation

It has balance that needs consideration

Life is a novel

Success only comes to those who are noble

Life is a circle

It has thousands of sides creating one whole

So, you see, my dear teachers

It’s not about how many reports you have made nor test papers you have checked.

We just need you to inspire us to admire life.

Now, that I am a teacher, I should always be reminded

that there is no perfection in education only inspiration.

I was never once a student but is forever a student

Photo by Cole Keister on Unsplash

He Said, She Said

_{Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash}

She had the courage to open up

He had the courage to take her in

She said you’re confident

He said you’re beautiful

She said ‘ok’ to love

He said ‘ok’ to life

She said she needs some time

He said he needs some space

She said I want to break the silence

He said I want to break up

She said goodbye

He said forever

She had to move on

He had to let go

Change: An Old Friend

The voice of God having once fully penetrated the heart becomes strong as the tempest and loud as the thunder. The knock of Change having once fully entered your life becomes destructive as the storm but humbling as any calamity.

I had a dream. In my dream, I was in a room resting in the most comfortable mattress there was, surrounded by feather pillows. On my lap was what seemed to be the best book ever written. It was raining hard outside, but I was undisturbed. It was silent in the room. Then I heard a tap on the door. It was a soft tap, but it sounded loud amidst the quiet room. I went to the door feeling delighted. When I opened, I saw a huge figure. I was not afraid nor was I glad for I knew who it was. He was called CHANGE.

Change is an old friend. His visits are unannounced, and there are no grand welcomes. He just knocks.

I remember the first time I met Change. I was six years old living in Bulacan (It’s in the island of Luzon in the Philippines). We lived in a small village where everybody knows everyone. Gates were not closed, and we can easily go from one house to another. When I heard the first knock, I saw Change carrying a basket labelled family.

Together with my brother and mother, I had to live in Saudi Arabia to be with my father. A change for the family. I had a good life in Saudi Arabia. We lived in Riyadh (Saudi’s capital city); and we belong to a small Filipino community. I loved the school; I considered it my second family. My friends were my world; and my brother was the best friend any girl would dream of. I just graduated from elementary, when I heard the second knock. Change was carrying a basket labelled growth.

I loathed Change at that time. “What do you mean growth?  I was about to enter what is known as ‘the best time of life’ and I am to spend it with strangers?” Worse, my brother must go back to the Philippines for college. We had to migrate from the capital city to the eastern province (Al Khobar) because of my father’s work. So, my graduation was a long day of goodbyes. I wasn’t ready for Change.

Once in Al Khobar, it took me two months to adjust. That was two months of crying every night. I never felt so alone. Then one day my 13-year-old self just decided to concede but I prepared myself for the next knock. Four years passed. I heard the knock. This time, I was by the door. I saw Change then I took the basket of opportunities. I am going back to the Philippines for college. I’ve grown a lot since the last visit of Change. Although this was a big change, I accepted it with audacity.

Back in Saudi, I had to wear Abaya on top of my regular clothes, so I felt naked going out here in the Philippines without my Abaya. Back is Saudi, we live in a very secluded culture, so I felt offbeat riding the jeepney, using the communal restroom, eating in a ‘food court’ and all other public places. The behavior, the surroundings, the weather, the culture, the people and the language were all new to me. The only phrase I knew was “ambot sa imong lubot” (better not to translate). But despite all these, I was ready.

Change became my closest friend. I got to know Change more and more. The conditions, the timing and the signs of his arrival. But one day I received a different knock. It was soft like a tap on the air, but it was the loudest yet for it did not come from the door, but I felt it in my heart. There was no Change at the door just a basket full of questions. I questioned my decisions, career and future. I had a promising career in communication but that soft tap in my heart sent unforeseen doubts that weakened my confidence in life. This time I seek for my old friend Change. I left the room of familiarity. I quit my job in communication and with nothing but the yearning for Change, I explored the world in education.

And now here I am, enjoying the company of children for more than five years. I know that by next year an old friend would visit or perhaps it is I who will look for Change.

I am not afraid even when Change breaks the walls of my comfort zone, for I know this must be done for me to see (not necessarily pleasing but) a better world. How about you? Have you met Change? Have you welcomed Change?

The Majestic Tree

Photo by David Bartus from Pexels

Let me tell you of the tree that once stood with great majesty.

Its branches reaching far and wide, stretching its leaves to every side

curious of the air that surrounds its every part.

The roots are as huge as a man’s thigh, grounded to the soil like a bundle of yarn

thirsty of the nutrients saved by the years before its time

The stem stood patiently for each season

waiting for the brush of the wind during equinoxes

celebrating the showers of rain at winter solstice

and anticipating the summer of June that brings the awaited heat

Indeed, it was an exceptional tree that everyone loved so dearly

A learned man saw the tree’s majesty

then the man pledge to give aid in all its ability

not that the tree needs any form of assisting

it is simply because it’s the man’s way of nurturing

The man started with a sprinkler of Adam’s ale

The tree was then surrounded with mist covered like a veil

Pleased, the man envisioned the tree much grander that it already is

So, the man showered the tree with powdered cotyledon

And let it thrive beyond its age and time

Proud, the man built a platform for the world to see

the beauty that was created out of the majestic tree

lights at every side

concrete floor at every ground

boards to put up the sign

bells to chime the loudest sound

The world saw the tree, but it was nothing but the ordinary

branches no longer reaching,

roots no longer seeking

and stem no longer waiting

What happened to my tree? Asked the learned man

the tree replied,

“It is because I am now yours and you treated me like a majesty

and not because I am my own and was a tree”