why i teach

as i was going through my students' reflection papers, i became witness to god's great power in the boys.

one of them wrote:
"my thoughts darkened as a needle pricked my heart, making it bleed profusely. i have tried avoiding these sights because the very thought of my inability to swoop them off their current state makes me feel guilty.

somehow, they needed me."

the context of this quote was a student's experience of the public school system in our country. he, being part of an elite who are fortunate enough to have a private school education, wasnt' well-informed about the educational system that is most common over here — until now.

my colleagues say that, one or two students a year (out of 100+) who live out what they learned from you is already a blessing. i already have my 'one'. :T

thank you, j. may god be with you as you go down from the hill.

education kills

"puwede na akong mamatay."

a colleague of mine uttered these words after she read a student's reflection entry. naturally, i became curious about all the hoopla, and so she let me read it.

the student talked about his on-going experience with socio-eco-ethics, a 4-unit course with 2 hours per week of tutoring public school kids. he narrated that he was one of the many seniors taking up this course who did not see the value in combining the church's social teachings with sociology and economics. for them, the course was just a requirement for graduation.

but then he went on. in theological parlance, he transcended his difficulty by trying to see the program for what it really was. in a nutshell, he saw that the program was a way to CHANGE THE WORLD. make no bones about it.

how do we do that? in a country beset by problems in graft and corruption, in a failing educational system, in building trust with the government, the best way, according to fr. james o'brien, sj was to educate.

not the rich and powerful, but the poor and needy. only with education can they free themselves from the shackles of poverty, or at least have a chance at it.

on the flipside, the tutors are high school seniors who themselves are changed by the experience.

on hindsight, education kills. it kills the ignorant. it kills the fool. it kills the insensitive in all who pattern their lives on the ideals of education.

and all the student-writer said was, "Give it a chance."