Aunt Frances

I remember living on the top floor of the school where I used to work when I first started working in an international setting. The school was small, housed in a condominium with four floors. The preschool section can be found on the second while the tutorials were on the third. The top floor was my sleeping quarter.

On my third week of school, I received some visitors asking about my whereabouts since the news spread out that there was a new kid on the block. I met Aunt Frances, a very fine fellow indeed.

Aunt Frances is a nurse by profession and they came to the country as expatriates from the US. She graciously offered one vacant room in their house to be my place and I agreed. It was difficult at first since I am not used to living with people who are not my relatives, more so, people whom I just met. But they were very good hosts and through the passing days, I became close to all three of them in the family. I was treated well, and received with warmth and became a part of her family. I am even allowed to use the car during the weekends.

I became part of their lives for a year until they were moved to another country and I had to find a new place to be in. I was very sad to see them leave but as expat families do, they had to go wherever they were assigned. Aunt Frances took care of me from day one up to their last day in Thailand. I am honored to have met such a great family, and deeply appreciative that I meet people like Aunt Frances during the course of my life. I am sure she is blessed for being so kind and loving.

Rosemarie

With little expectations, I was told that there was a need of a substitute teacher in a small school far away from where I was currently residing. It was three long rides before reaching the place. In a small quaint house was a school for the locals primarily geared towards the younger age. It was a house filled with activities.

I was introduced to the owner of the school and with her stature as an educator of excellent background, I stood there like a little kid awed. She is Rosemarie, an American educator who worked with the Peace Corps and then started a life anew in Thailand. She started a small school that catered to the need of the people in that village and she became a household name for the years to come.

Her persona is magnified in hundred folds as she is brilliant, caring, and always believe in people. She is a real hero for most, surviving difficulties all throughout and bracing whatever comes her way. She stood up high and became a beacon of success.

I was privileged enough to be one of her first teachers and was equally proud for being the person in charge of helping her establish her preschool in another posh village. I remember riding a pick up truck and going to Chinatown to purchase some supplies needed for the school, a day before the opening. It was fun!

The ride wasn't smooth as it was a new school. There had been problems and issues but resolved under the leadership of this magnificent woman. I was in many troubles with her and she managed to work with me even when I was being complicated. I became a part of her school for ten years from the very start to the flourishing years up to having built my name as an educator.

Until now, she will always be my mentor. I enjoyed my stay at her school and I do wish that all my efforts were not left unfounded. I knew from stories around that I am remembered and cherished. In my own little way, this becomes a fitting tribute to a woman who gave me the opportunity and the chance to become great.

The Will To Live

Walking along the planks of a wooden bridge, I happened to noticed a small plant growing from a trunk of a dead tree. I took a shot of it upon realizing that the plant is hanging there to live on its own, making the dying tree its host. I named the picture The Will To Live.

It reminded me of a close friend I had met many years ago. He was a young handsome lad who makes very little money for a living. He came from upcountry and decided to find a better life in the city, a typical story shared by many.

He worked doing many things and the last time I heard of him, he was driving a cab. There was this time that he called me asking for my help as he was very ill. I went to visit and I was in tears finding him in an almost empty room. With no bed to lie on, a very thin blanket and a small pillow, it was a sad sight to behold. He was clinging for his last strength, gave himself a push to muster some courage to ask help from me and it was gruelling to listen to his story. I had helped him so many times that I lost count and this was the reason why he hesitated to call in the first place.

He survived through the help of neighbours, giving him food for lunch and dinner and some money to buy medicines. In my capacity as a lost friend, I helped him out. I gave some money, bought food and more medicine and sat there for some time. When he felt sleepy, I left knowing that he would be fine.

I have no idea where he is now. After that incident, he decided to leave the city and return home to his parents and he had not made contact ever since. I still remember our last telephone conversation. With him crying on the phone, he said that he had learned to love me and I believed him so.

Aunt Laura

Invited to attend a Christian service, I happened to met one wonderful lady by the name of Laura. She was a stern looking woman but knowing how stern looking people are (I am one!), I immediately took a liking to her personality.

Laura was an accomplished pianist, having played in many occasions including concerts for the royal family. She was well-known in her circle and was loved by everyone. She would be invited here and there and she enjoyed the glitter and the privilege to belong.

Laura was the one who accompanied me to the next person in my tribute line. She was instrumental in making me change, to be a better person. She encouraged me to believe in myself and something that she saw in me that I happened not to noticed. She believed in me as a person, and as a teacher.

People from the school often praised her for her true and vibrant spirit. She always had something for the staff to eat and when I was sick once, she sent some food to my place which was a lovely gesture. She was a family member, my adopted aunt.

We attended parties together, met people and had fun during weekends or holidays. Her songs in school and the music she created while playing the piano still lingers in my memory. We parted ways when I decided to leave.

Coming back after two years of absence, I heard that she passed away from health reasons. She was penniless at that time and one good friend shouldered the expenses to send her home. She was one of the most giving person I had met, that money was not the objective of her existence, but to share her expertise and genuine concern to others.

I cried upon learning her demise and I am proud to have had the opportunity to be with her even for a short time. She will be remembered and without doubt, a great part of my life as an educator.

10.10.10

It's just a number but the need to get 10 in work and play propel us to work harder, to seek advices, to learn from the pro, and to further pursue goals to achieve our full potentialities.

We always strive for perfection and then end up being successful or miserable. Sporting events are competitive in nature and it takes an athlete years to master what he is good at, and perfect it. Cooks and chefs take lessons from master cooks to bring out the best flavours in their dishes, thus to perfect them. Participants in creative competitions push harder and develop world class designs or performances, a need to perfect their crafts. However too much of anything brings downfall, and in this scenario, pursuing 10 beyond our limits might end up to frustrations and defeat. We should know out limits.

I am not competitive but I put more effort in what I do. I go to work earlier than usual and dread being late to an appointed meet. I am told to make a presentation, I do twice what was asked of me. I am to teach but I go beyond by looking into each and every child and dig deeper to their core to help them with their strengths and correct their weaknesses. I put more effort in everything.

To be good is fair enough but to be better is far more compelling. Perfection is a discipline and once achieved, it elevates us to the highest level of satisfaction and success. Nobody's perfect? Yes, but we could perfect some things in life. We should give 10 a chance, to challenge ourselves once in a while. And when we compete with life, we know that our efforts deserve a 10 and nobody can take that feeling of contentment and hard work away from us.

Thus, I give myself an 8 for being considerate, a 9 for being a strong person, and a 10 for loving unconditionally.

Lin Lao Shr

After graduating with a degree in arts, I pursued a masteral program in religions through a scholarship from the same university. I wasn't doing anything in the mornings so when my friend called for a part time job, I went to meet the principal.

It was difficult for me to understand the way the principal spoke because I wasn't familiar with her accent. I lost my Chinese when I went to the university and had no contact whatsoever of my Chinese friends. It was tough seated there and trying to decipher the language and making sense of what she was saying. I was rescued by her daughter then when the latter started speaking English.

Knowing Lin Lao Shr after I was hired was a delight in itself. She was a veritable house of knowledge and spoke volumes in terms of teaching skills and techniques. We always ran to her when we were in need of help regarding a student or from an unreasonable mom. She was always smiling and we considered her as our mother.

She was an honorary member of some of the prestigious Chinese schools around. She was invited most of the time to be a speaker and she always shared stories of her life and her beginnings. When I left the school after being there for six years, I heard from some of my former colleagues that she spoke highly of me in one of her talks. She spoke about giving opportunities to all, and giving a chance to those who wanted to work in the teaching profession. Being a male person and a rarity at that time, I became a role model in her eyes and it was her teachings that shaped me to be a good teacher.

I owe her my humble beginnings. I was the grumpy, emotional and self-centered individual just out of college and knowing nothing about the world and teaching. Her guidance, assurance and words of wisdom had helped me find the direction I was intended to. She was the epitome of a great teacher.

Impression

This isn't one of author-artist Leo Lionni's famous books, a four time Caldecott Honor Book awardee. However, this is one of my favorite book because it gave me an opportunity to show to the children a delightful and light example of an ethical idea.

I was told by an acquaintance that a mom from one of my former class decided to stop communicating with people coming from my country. I was told that she had a bad experience as someone borrowed money from her and then disappeared. That person was a teacher.

Whenever I see a scruffy looking person in the street, my first impulse is to walk towards the other side of the sidewalk so as to avoid that person. In my mind, I am avoiding getting into any situation that I might not be able to run away with. This is entirely baseless. It is a reaction triggered by constant reminders and stories of mugging, threat or extortion. Something that I am not immune to.

I once took a cab before and the conversation between me and the driver went like this:

Driver: I look at the passenger who hails my cab as I am wary of those who gets in.

Me: The same goes to me though but it is tough to choose since it is dark so I take a chance.

Driver: It is difficult because we work so hard and then we get robbed.

Me: I fully understand as I had been robbed as well. But it is not just the mean looking guys or girls that are bad. Some are even dressed well, and they have bad intentions.

Driver: That's right. The world we live in is different. We do not know how bad looks like. It is always playing chances.

So I walk the field in a way that I am always alert of my environment, sensing danger when it approaches but giving everyone a fair chance to show their colours. We know when someone is not going to be nice, it's an instinct. We move away from them. But we should never apply one bad impression of someone to all. As one of the mouse character in the book called Uncle Raymond would say, " One bad bird doesn't make a flock." It's absolutely true!

Women and MEn

In a female dominated world, my profession as a teacher are always tested whether I will survive the challenges of teaching young children, the demands of parents, or the bulk of work associated with teaching. For many years, I am always struggling to cope, if not to belong, in the company of women.



This October, I decided to write things about the many women I have met throughout my career as an educator. It is just fitting to remember the glory and the contributions that gave me the strength to continue with this vocation.



Jean is probably the person fitted to be showcased as my first entry. She was a classmate of mine when I was in third year high school and then again when I was in second year university level. We were seated together in class as we share the same inital letter, when everyone in class were seated alphabetically. We lost contact when we started taking our majors but got together again when she called me up after graduation.



She told me that there was an opening in a school for an assistant teacher. Since I am not doing anything in the morning I accepted the offer. It was tough since I never thought I will be assisting very young children but that experience showed me that I have what it takes to be patient, loving and sincere.



We worked for a year and she left the school and pursued other things. We lost contact but the opportunity she shared to me to work together and be a teacher became my profession. It was the beginning.



I am thankful and just like the book The Giving Tree she gave me for my birthday years ago, each section of that chopped tree represented my inner self: my growth, my learnings and my destiny.