“Good morning” greeted by a uniformed man with a smile and a bow after opening the door to the lady in high heeled shoes which coordinated to her sophisticated dress and bag- This is the scenario which the girl standing at door nearby the bank could see herself on the shoes of that lady.
The reality had a dispute with the dream of the girl. It was a fact that she was able to attend the school through her barefoot, most of the time without even a single centavo in her pocket. A seldom time occurred for a lucky day that she had fifteen to fifty centavos for her school allowance.
Constantly, the same status of life she had in her secondary schooling. It seemed that the world was so selfish and cruel to the extent that she skipped some meals in a day. But her dream was her strength to continue her life because she believed that it was too close to make it real. At last, Graduation, this is it! For her it was her key to a new gate for a better opportunity. However, that open door closed itself. She stopped and helped her family to earn a living. Still, she was determined to pursue her dream.
After some years of waiting, opportunity knocked on her door through her mother’s friend. SCHOLARSHIP was given to her whom her mother grabbed immediately. The great feeling of excitement turned to dissatisfaction for it did not suit to what she wanted to be. She preferred to work alone on her office. She did not imagine herself dealing with many people. She rejected the situation speaking in front of others. She never visualized herself mingling with students.
The demarcation of her dreams stepped on reality. From operating a machine with a piece of cloth attaching each part, the sleeve to its body, the waistline to its other part to make a skirt- she turned schooling, she expended great energy to an unwanted world with the youngsters. At last, the conclusion of her labor for over four years came to realization. She graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education.
Still in denial, she did not work for her Board Examination. Yet, her mother worked for it and she passed it. Still she rejected the factof being a teacher and she worked as a clerk to a small firm instead. After some months, there was an offer for a substitute teacher. To please her mother, she accepted the offer. To herself, she would do it for her mother but that was only for the meantime. Apparently, the chance seemed to be a good break for her because it lasted for monthsuntil she was informed to provide all her credentials for Permanent Position which she never expected.
The truth prevails; from the start it was so hard to accept the fact that she is a TEACHER. There were times that she was almost to give up when experiencing difficulty in teaching world. She kept on blaming her mother for the thought that occurrence messed her life for the first six years.
Several years passed, unconsciously with the different challenges on her way, she started to enjoy the work of instilling a strong passion for learning not only in academics but also in wisdom oflife. She has felt the fulfilment when after some years her students went back and say “Thank you for your guidance, support and for being a mother to us “. The affection and gratitude from her students made her realize to her real passion now. Thus, the Irony of her life is no longer an Irony. It is now the reality that she appreciated and lived with until the rest of her life.
By: Mrs. Armie E. Lucena | Teacher III | Bataan National High School | Balanga, Bataan
