I think I can speak for the group and say she was one of our favorite highschool teacher. We won our first choral recitation and we proudly dedicated it to her, as she was equally proud of us winning that one. She was a nanay, a teacher and a friend to us. At least that’s what I think of her.
Natatandaan ko, pinagawa nya tayo nuon ng book report. Gagayahin natin ang book cover at isusulat natin sa loob ang summary ng napili nating istorya. Syempre, babasahin natin isa isa ang ginawang book report sa harap ng klase. Kung pangkaraniwang titser lang sya, ganun nga ang ipapagawa nya pero dahil ibang klaseng titser nga sya, hindi lang natin babasahin ang book report, kailangan ay naka-costume din tayo ng main character ng libro natin. Kapag hindi interesting ang pagkakabasa, papatigilin na nya ito at ang susunond naman ang magbabasa.
When it was my turn, dressed as the character of my story, I think I got to read two or three sentences before she cut me short, probably gave me a low grade and moved on to the next student. I remembered Rhoda (I think) picked a dramatic scene from her book report, read it in front of the class, and I swear I saw her eyes turned watery, ready to cry. If it was her way of making her book-report-reading interesting, or if she was ready to cry out of stage fright, I wouldn’t know for sure, but the teacher cut her report short, too. Too bad. But JJ was different. He read a few sentences and ended it with “let the games begin” and he, together with a few classmates he asked to participate in his book report, recreated a baseball scene out of his book report. Ayos!
Pero hindi lahat ay happy ending. Natatandaan ko din, isang beses, nagalit sya sa buong klase. Galit na galit sya nuon, at takot na takot naman tayo. Di ko na matandaan papano nagsimula pero sinabihan nya tayo nuon na nagiging arogante na ang buong klase, at sinusukat natin lagi ang kakayahan ng mga guro natin. Pagalit nyang tinanong kung tama ba daw ang kanyang obserbasyon. Syempre, walang makasagot. Tinawag nya si Jameson (ata) na ang tanging naisagot ay “n-no c-comment, mam” na sinagot naman niya ng “I want you to comment!”
“Y-yes mam” was all Jameson could muster to say, which of course, only made matters worse. I couldn’t blame Jameson for answering that way, because I myself could’ve answered “yes mam” if she asked me if I’m the one who shot Ninoy. In response, or as punishment most probably, she made us write a gazillion word theme composition, typewritten, neatly bordered, with no wrong spelling or erasures whatsoever, may it be rubber or liquid eraser. That was before the advent of Bill Gate’s computers and word processing, mind you. I remembered laboring with our Jurassic typewriter back home, way into the wee hours of the morning, wasting probably four-trees-worth of typewriting papers, just to complete the no-erasures-composition.
Ikaw, anong naaalala mo?
Hopefully, her name.
Natatandaan ko, pinagawa nya tayo nuon ng book report. Gagayahin natin ang book cover at isusulat natin sa loob ang summary ng napili nating istorya. Syempre, babasahin natin isa isa ang ginawang book report sa harap ng klase. Kung pangkaraniwang titser lang sya, ganun nga ang ipapagawa nya pero dahil ibang klaseng titser nga sya, hindi lang natin babasahin ang book report, kailangan ay naka-costume din tayo ng main character ng libro natin. Kapag hindi interesting ang pagkakabasa, papatigilin na nya ito at ang susunond naman ang magbabasa.
When it was my turn, dressed as the character of my story, I think I got to read two or three sentences before she cut me short, probably gave me a low grade and moved on to the next student. I remembered Rhoda (I think) picked a dramatic scene from her book report, read it in front of the class, and I swear I saw her eyes turned watery, ready to cry. If it was her way of making her book-report-reading interesting, or if she was ready to cry out of stage fright, I wouldn’t know for sure, but the teacher cut her report short, too. Too bad. But JJ was different. He read a few sentences and ended it with “let the games begin” and he, together with a few classmates he asked to participate in his book report, recreated a baseball scene out of his book report. Ayos!
Pero hindi lahat ay happy ending. Natatandaan ko din, isang beses, nagalit sya sa buong klase. Galit na galit sya nuon, at takot na takot naman tayo. Di ko na matandaan papano nagsimula pero sinabihan nya tayo nuon na nagiging arogante na ang buong klase, at sinusukat natin lagi ang kakayahan ng mga guro natin. Pagalit nyang tinanong kung tama ba daw ang kanyang obserbasyon. Syempre, walang makasagot. Tinawag nya si Jameson (ata) na ang tanging naisagot ay “n-no c-comment, mam” na sinagot naman niya ng “I want you to comment!”
“Y-yes mam” was all Jameson could muster to say, which of course, only made matters worse. I couldn’t blame Jameson for answering that way, because I myself could’ve answered “yes mam” if she asked me if I’m the one who shot Ninoy. In response, or as punishment most probably, she made us write a gazillion word theme composition, typewritten, neatly bordered, with no wrong spelling or erasures whatsoever, may it be rubber or liquid eraser. That was before the advent of Bill Gate’s computers and word processing, mind you. I remembered laboring with our Jurassic typewriter back home, way into the wee hours of the morning, wasting probably four-trees-worth of typewriting papers, just to complete the no-erasures-composition.
Ikaw, anong naaalala mo?
Hopefully, her name.
4 comments:
Si Ms. Librada San Juan?? Im not really sure (pero i remember her and the way she speaks English fluently)...
Meron pa tayong ibang extraordinary teachers, si Mr. Nestor ??? yong mahilig kumanta ng Jose Mari Chan songs (at mahilig magpakanta), at saka si Ms. Luzviminda ??? PE teacher na taga Teresa...
yup Ms. San Juan nga. taga Cardona. I remembered she passed away (blessed her soul) nung freshman ata tayo sa College.
Me mga classmate tayo nakapunta sa burol pero inde ako nakasama.
- Roehl
yes, it was ma'am librada. really cool teacher.
response to anonymous:
Mr. Nestor Vallesteros na taga-Baras. Mahilig siyang kumanta ng songs ni Jose Marie Chan, Rey Valera at Barry Manilow.
Si Ms. Luzviminda ___ ay taga-hulo, Morong, Rizal
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