This quote bears special meaning to me. It came from an article by Stephanie Tanyu Coyiuto that was published in this newspaper some years back. What she wrote about me changed my life and the way I viewed life itself. Through Stephanie’s help, I was able to finish my studies without former difficulties hounding me. Because what she wrote created a big impact that transformed my life, I deemed it timely to use these words to inspire others.
After graduating from college, I always wanted to teach in a private school. It came to reality when I was given the privilege of teaching children from well-to-do families in a school in Laguna. But the experience did not fully satisfy me; the bliss I was yearning for wasn’t there. That’s why I decided to return to Manila looking for the strangest jobs. I wasn’t sure then of the one direction I wanted to traverse; I took chances simply because I needed a job soonest. My daily travails lead me to apply as a teacher for an NGO named Childhope Asia.
During the interview, I learned that my job was to teach street children. I got interested simply because I found it strange and challenging – kids not of the spoiled and pampered kind, given to caprices and material possessions. But a tinge of doubt bothered me: I did not have enough skills and experience to deal with them.
The first time I saw them, gathered in Binondo church, I almost balked, with the immediate reflex to quit in an instant. It was easy for me to be judgmental then; I took people at face value and at that moment I thought I would not be able to endure them. They smelled horribly, their feet and faces equally grimy. Some walked barefooted; some had tough, wiry, unkempt hair; some had festering wounds on their skin. I had experienced teaching children, but not of this kind. I wanted to back out right there and then, but deep in my mind, I wanted to give myself and these kids a chance.
In the first two weeks I was observing them, I slowly began to understand them. They needed to learn something from me. It was up to me for them to have a chance at learning. Every morning, the kids would approach me like I’ve never seen them for a long time. They seemed to have longing for people’s attention and friendship. They had no pretensions, and they tugged at my arms or my shirt, sometimes embracing me with their frail, bony built. At first, I told them to move a little farther from me because I couldn’t help getting a whiff of their sun-kissed smell (amoy-araw). But street kids are attuned to the slightest insincerity, and they feel frustrated and angry because they show affection and gratitude when given the gesture of sincere kindness.
In the days that passed by, I was able to accept them with all my heart. I took seriously the commitment I promised myself. I always started my lessons by telling them stories. I noticed that they liked the stories about simple lives that mirrored their own. They are skeptical when the stories they hear are too much "magical" or "fairy tale-like." Perhaps, they know by experience that there is no real "magic" in their lives, or that their lives, full of difficulties and hardships, shut their sense of astonishment.
I started with a group of 30 children but their numbers dwindled as weeks passed. Some had to work to help their parents earn income; that was a sad reality I had to bear. Some, however, took their classes faithfully, without any absences, because they were eager to learn. Often I visited them in their dwellings. I found out that they lived in the strangest of places – above murky estuaries, under bridges crossing the Pasig river, in ambulant threadbare carts, atop church ceilings, in dark, damp alleys or corners.
Once, they invited me to go with them to Jones Bridge. When we arrived, I was shocked to see one of my students dive into the Pasig river. No sooner than that his companions eagerly joined in, engaging in some afternoon skinny-dipping. I would have wanted to stop them, knowing the hazards of swimming in polluted waters. But how can I prevent them from this ageless glee, a laughter that prevented even my heart?
In the six months I had these children under my care, I felt that elusive bliss my heart was looking for all these years. It was then that I truly realized the true virtue of the teaching profession – "A teacher’s commitment is to be able to serve others selflessly by letting them acquire knowledge, wisdom and good education." These children do not need charity in terms of financial help alone. Sometimes, it’s the premise that they only need money to get them through everything that endangers them. What they need to receive from us is true compassion and concern for their condition.
When the time came for classes to finish, I thought of a way to make their "graduation" a very memorable event. I wanted to help them rebuild their own dreams. That’s why I wrote a letter to the producers of Wish Ko Lang at GMA-7 to ask them to help Malayan Insurance and Childhope Asia fulfill a meaningful "graduation" rites for them. I was thankful that they responded positively and committed a party just for these kids. The children and their parents were overjoyed and I wanted them to feel that if they pursue their ambitions through sheer determination and hard work, they will come true. If the parents support their children to enter formal schooling, at least they stand a fair chance at succeeding in school, and later in life.
I felt a certain degree of achievement when some of them learned to read and write under my guidance. However, the encounter also taught me, the teacher, valuable lessons in life that no classroom teaching would be able to fulfill. Like giving importance to whatever blessings that come to our lives, be it small or big, and being thankful for these. Better yet, use these blessings at hand by sharing them with others in our own unique way.
My hopes for a better world lie with these children. The hopes these children carry in their hearts would be able to transform this world into a better place.
In conclusion, let me give you Stephanie’s exact words in her article, with the hope that many will follow: "Let us start to reach out to our neighbors who need our help. Through our efforts and good deeds, we can make a difference in the lives of others."