Bakit Nga Ba?

It was something that made me smile for quite some time after it happened.  Nakatambay until 5 am with my kababatas.  kwentuhan ng kung ano ano. pranks we did as youngsters. the scares that we got while we were growing up in the streets of sitio antazo.  then someone asked "bakit po kayo nag teacher?"  bakit nga ba? was it a childhood dream?  was it within the family?  I was not able to give a definite answer.  di ko pa rin masagot hanggang ngayon.  but there is no regret kahit minsan nakakapraning ang demands.  especially with how your students look at you.

i was surprised one time when a former advisory student waited for me at dismissal. he just broken off with his girl who is also my former advisory student.  after telling me the news, i saw a feeling of lightness in him.  yesterday, the same student sat beside me while watching a performance by his classmates.  he showed me a picture of his father who already has a different family. he told me that his father visited them the past Saturday. then he went back to his own seat smiling.  it really feels good that some students trust you with something they just could not share with anyone else.

another student asked me to keep her cellphone during class hours so that she could avoid using it during classes. she also told me to read the text messages coming from her classmate who was also my former advisory.  i replied at one text message pretending to be the real owner of the phone.  told him that we just played volleyball and that i am (owner of the phone) is thirsty, there is nowhere to buy water.  he replied kay MAMA Robles.  i discovered that instead of MAÀM, that is how they refer to me in text messages.

so even though i could not pinpoint the answer to why i took up education.  i am happy that i did.