Reasons For Every Seasons (September 26, 2008)

It is rare in this ever-busy world to find people who will make an impact to our lives in small and big ways. Most of us will be scurrying to go on our business being unmindful of the people and circumstances around us. Majority would probably agree that they didn’t even see the beauty of the sunshine or the majestic colours of the sunset every dusk.

I have no known reason why I ended up being a teacher. It was an accident at the start before it became a motivation to achieve. Now, it is on its journey towards self-actualization. I am beginning to see the many reasons for my being a teacher and being in another country.

With this wonderful friend of mine, our meeting was no accident at all, it was faith. I remember her lending me some of her household things to make myself a home in my new found environment. Then, she helped me survive the harsh realities of working where prejudice exists and taught me to believe in myself as a person. Again and again, she comforted my inner soul whenever I was lost and drowning in tears. This year, she is my present motivator at the workplace and is a joy to work with. Her presence is reason enough to be happy, to be thankful and to be at peace with myself.

But all things come to an end. She will be taking absence to heal her failing health. It was saddening to me but I look at the situation as her determination to continue with her positive and unwavering spirit. That is, to restore her health so that she can continue with what she does well, to positively touch people’s lives.

So when things come along our way, there are reasons for them. God is never sleeping as He gives us ways to discover ourselves through our daily dealings with what is explainable and what cannot be easily understood. It is in having faith that we get to see the reasons for every seasons.

Absence (September 22, 2008)

I have not been walking down my garden for quite some time. The rains had been pouring every now and then and I had been very busy with other things. I am not worried for my plants as I knew the rain is taking care of them.

What I enjoy with absence is the joy of finding something surprising. I remember being away from my garden for almost a week since I travelled somewhere and then be welcomed by blossoming yellow flowers, the kind that bear flowers so rare. There was this palm like tree I have and one day surprised me with the wonderful smell of its flowers.

There was also a time when I was admiring a spotted green and yellow plant of mine one day and then returned to be shocked with just a trunk, branches and very few leaves as it was devastated by caterpillars.

So I guess that being away from my garden will give me a needed surprise, a few blossoms maybe or fruits from the trees. And I am hoping that the absence I am feeling from many things will bring me, something to look forward to.

Friendships (September 19, 2008)

I know a lot of people from all walks of life. I also have a big group of international people that I know as I have been around an international community for many years. I have met many interesting people and some who have shown me what life is.

Cynthia Rylant’s The Old Woman Who Named Things opened my eyes to my current attitude towards friendship. It was in the very end of the book where I saw a realization that I had been ignoring throughout.

She thought of all the old, dear friends with names whom she had outlived. She saw their smiling faces and remembered their lovely names, and she thought how lucky she had been to have known these friends. She thought what a lucky woman she was.

The realization is that I had been ignoring friends and had been running away from them. Not that I don’t like to socialize, but because I prefer being home alone and tending the garden. If any invitations come up, I do attend but I don’t stay for a longer time.

So if you ask me to name ten close friends I have, I probably would have to think, hmm… ten is such a big number. However, I am a lucky person as I will be able to name a few; a few that I know will be around for a long, long time. It’s time to celebrate, to celebrate my friendship with them not just through blogging but by being visible.

Alive (September 16, 2008)

This year, I have the opportunity to work with one of my favorite friends. We used to work together many years ago, parted ways and then back again this school year.

When I was very new to the school I used to work with, I knew no one and felt very much alone. One day after class, I passed by the kitchen of our homey school. Seated by the doorway was a beautiful woman with her child. She asked me in my vernacular and I was surprised to hear a Caucasian speaking an Asian language. She happened to have lived and finished her high school where I was originally from. We became instant buddies and exchanged greetings every time we saw each other.

Her first born who was just a toddler during our first meet but became my student when he turned three. Bubbly and positively active, he became one of my favorites in class. His mum started working in the school so we ended up being close friends.

Fast forward some years, I heard that our former school co-principal was to leave so I was vying for my friend to come back as the co-administrator. When it didn’t materialize, I was down hearted and this disappointment became an issue in my school. I was told to be not a team player and not supportive of my former co-principal’s decisions. A rife ensued between me and the newly hired co-principal. The reason wasn’t that, the sadness was because my friend didn’t make it to be the co-principal.

That being said, I struggled in school to show that I meant good for everyone. I struggled to be a part of a group with the intention to succeed and prosper. I struggled hard, and sacrificed many things including my pride.

During the last school term, I was very ecstatic when I heard that in the coming school year, my friend will be working as a teacher. I was very excited.

She is now with us again. I do see her every morning with her cheerful disposition and contagious smile. I know I am always surrounded by good people but when I am surrounded by good friends, I feel much alive.

Greatness Defined (September 14, 2008)

Award winning writer Richard Paul Evans wrote this compelling book about a man who wanted to be great. Building himself a tower taller than any existing edifice, he stayed there and realized that being ‘on top’ means nothing in the end.

What makes a ‘great’ man? I have no idea to this but I can give some examples of traits I find worthy of my respect and admiration.

Determination, the will to stay put and continue had been one of the greatest trait I wish I have and a trait I look for people. Not everyone is bless with riches or intelligence. Not everyone possesses alluring beauty or a multitude of friends. Those who are lacking but know how to fill those weaknesses with strengths are the most determined individuals ever.

Patience is another great trait and only those who possess real patience endure hardships and challenges with a positive outlook.

Selflessness, a trait that is seemingly losing its meaning as more and more people are finding comfort, control and egocentrism as superior and meaningful. Being selfless means not only thinking of oneself but also thinking of others. A selfless person does not ask for rewards nor wait for one. A selfless person acts with a willing spirit and an open heart.

There are many more traits that makes a great man. We just don't need to exert effort to become great, it comes and will come naturally. Being a good mother, a responsible father, a dedicated teacher, a hard working government worker are all but great in their own worlds. So when we put one act of great deed to others, we do a chain reaction of great things to follow.

Not Just a Book (September 05, 2008)

There are books with illustrations evoking expressions that seem to attract and elicit reactions both verbal and emotional. The book Charming Opal did this trick.

Charming Opal is about a pig who visited her cousins at Woodcock Pocket. It is about Opal’s adventures with her cousins and the eventual lost of her wobbly tooth.

The illustrations evoked much of the excitement during the first few pages and the drama when the tooth got lost and cannot be found. It imbibed disappointment when I thought the tooth fairy wasn’t able to visit Opal. It woke my cheery spirit learning she got a quarter from the tooth fairy at the end of the story.

Holly Hobbie, the author and illustrator, is a magnificent person as she can convey her messages not just with words but also with the vivid expressions of her book characters and the situations they are into. She is a reigning favorite of mine.

Truly our face is the window of our emotions. Our sadness is magnified by our sorrowful eyes and faint smiles, while our happiness is seen through the beaming delight of our actions. So when these expressions are put into drawings, a book becomes more than a book, it is alive.

On Becoming a Teacher (September 01, 2008)

I found this entry I wrote a year ago and was surprised to not see this in my own blog so I am adding this up. This is a gist of the presentation I gave for the SSHS students during their career orientation day.

On Becoming A Teacher
(The Beginning, the Middle Path, the Treasure Within)

The Beginning

Where do you fit in?
Do you like to teach?
Do you enjoy being with people?
Do you believe in making a difference?
Do you think you can be a good example to others?
Do you aim for selflessness and change?

Are you ready to be?
A spiritual leader
An academician
A guide
A leader
A mentor
An inspiration
A mover

How to be the best?
Education
Moral
Values
Dedication
Patience
Love

The Middle Path

Teaching as…
The road less taken… admittedly not a financially rewarding career which is a pity
The passing of the torch…as I pass the light from one person to the next so that his and her destiny is easily seen
Ripple effect…from me to you and to the next generation of young men and women
Instrument of change…or a catalyst, from good to better, to rise up to every occasion

Challenges
Comfort zone- to be comfortable and live within one’s own circle
Risk taker- to take part in the growing process by learning more and challenging oneself
I am not advocating brain drain but hoping that those who will leave the country, the reasons are for self-actualization and a matter of personal choice.

The Treasure Within
Financial- teaching won’t buy you material wealth but it can buy you trust and respect. It is a modest form of living.
Professional-growth as a person is inevitable and it is an ongoing process, we never cease to learn. We grow to learn ourselves and the people surrounding us.
Emotional-happiness can never be bought and when we do something where we are happy, then life is worth living.
Spiritual-remembering that you had been guiding young minds and hearts all throughout your life as a teacher.

And most especially the warmth and smiles of fifteen children everyday give me the reason to live. Love your teachers because they love you.