An ‘A’ for Jose, an ‘accidental teacher’

Unknown to many, we belong to a family of female educators as our mother, aunts, cousins to the nth degree were all teachers. We would have followed in their footsteps to become a mentor like them, which is why we enrolled in Journalism at the University of the Philippines and continued for post-graduate studies at the University of Chicago in Illinois, Evanston campus. This is also why our heart goes out to the parents who sacrifice everything for their children, as well as to the teachers whose lives have been dedicated to that profession.

June is the time of year in the Philippines when hundreds of thousands of young Filipinos embark on their journey into higher education. Behind them stand parents who have committed themselves to giving their children an edge in life through education. It’s an incredibly large financial commitment that they hope would increase their child’s chances for success without any guarantees. At the start, the hearts of mothers and fathers are filled with high hopes, and it is during these days that we see in their eyes a silent prayer that their decision has been the right one.

Our friend Jose wasn’t trained to be a teacher, but by quirk of circumstance, he found himself thrown into the company of teachers and students by the thousands, since their university is one of the largest in the region. We asked Jose for his thoughts on this twist of fate.

He answered: “Having worked for FEU for four years, I have been intimately involved with one of the country’s major university’s enrollment process. As department head, managing the school’s bookstores, I have seen hundreds of proud parents pass through our gates. This is the busiest time of year. I work long hours, extra days, live and breathe e-mail to assure our FEU family a flawless flight through the enrollment process. Despite the stress and shortened periods of rest, I will not exchange for anything the many touching scenes of family bliss as adoring parents proudly watch their youngsters enter their college lives.

“At our Makati campus last week, I had delivered uniforms in time for new student orientation. A mother and her son walked into the bookstore. They were among the first to arrive and I watched the two interact. The mom was casual and giddy while playfully doting over her son fitting his new clothes. Son was responding with sweet shy smiles, caught between being a mommy’s boy and a college student exerting independence in unfamiliar surroundings.

As the store filled up with more families, I spied a dad perusing the shelves of new FEU T-shirts. I wondered to myself, ‘Who did he belong to?” My eyes followed him across the store to mom fitting uniforms in the corner of the store. Their son held up a black shirt in front of him and asked, ‘Kasya ba sa akin?’ ‘This is truly a family affair,’ I told myself. School pride does not end with the students. It diffuses to their parents and siblings. I won’t be surprised to see dad cheering in the stands at this year’s UAAP games.

“At our Cavite campus a few weeks ago, I experienced another example of parental pride. While seated in a van with FEU Cavite broadly branded on all sides, a woman approached, with son in tow and asked us for a lift to the campus. At first, it struck me as odd that a woman with her offspring would ask a group of strangers for a ride anywhere. She explained, ‘I’m going to enroll my son. He’s an incoming fourth year student.’ On the way, she proceeded to ask us questions about our role in the school. Her genuine demeanor and friendly nature bespoke of a family who had put good thought into choosing a school for her child. She was ready and pleased to be part of a community. I almost felt like a teacher myself.

“Also at this campus, I get 20 observe enrollment with parents and very young kids. One woman particularly caught my attention: A mother with a daughter about to enter kindergarten. Her greenness to the enrollment process was a delight. She wasn’t only new to the FEU community but to the process of registering her kid to school. Her innocence was palpable. But what made my heart melt was to see her daughter put on her new green dress, obediently turn around and walk a few meters to model and to assure a good fit. ‘It’s all in a day’s work for a mom,’ I thought to myself. And all in a very satisfying day’s work for me.”

We give Jose a thumbs-up for his report. We will give you an A, we signal him, for being an almost teacher, from an almost mentor, we muse to ourselves.

(Send your comments to [email protected] or text me at 0917-8991835.)