In Honor Of Our Teachers Today And In Centuries Yet To Be by Arianne P. Gabriela

Kathryn Patricia Cross, a scholar on educational research, said that "The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate 'apparently ordinary' people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people."

Today we are gathered here to honor our excellent teachers in our school in a celebration deserving to be repeated everyday within the confines of our classrooms. Teachers day is not, and should not, be just a weeklong or a one day affair. It is not either an event marked by heaping lavish praises on them nor standing everyday in the podium. It is rather the small things that we do inside our classes that make or unmake a teacher’s day. Doing our homework, participating in class discussions, not cheating in exams, and being always present are surefire ways of giving our teachers a good day – a teacher’s day. Similarly, doing the opposite will surely give them a bad day – a bad hair day to be exact that will ruin whatever good vibes he/she has before coming to a class. And so, with that thought in mind, I ask you my fellow students that we honor our second parents- our teachers- not only this day but in everyday that we do.
But what made them special to us that we have to celebrate it everyday? The reasons are endless and may not be enough to be said in a day or two. But nonetheless let me encapsulate what other students have said on what make teachers special.
Teachers are special beings because they taught us to not only embrace knowledge but also those around us. They created a classroom environment that allowed us, void of judgment, to understand our differences and accept them.
Good teachers can tell their students a lot of answers to a vast amount of knowledge. They however, can play dumb, quietly and patiently waiting while their students struggle to formulate their own thoughts in their own words. Thus, by pushing and motivating us to develop our own reasoning, they are essentially showing us that education and knowledge is more than cramming information in one's brain. It is about the curiosity and the desire for truth and the motivation to search for it.
Our teachers’ ability to listen and provide wonderful words of advice is another trait which made them special . How many times have we observed that when we doubted ourselves - and there were many moments of self-doubt – they would tell us not to give up.
The teachers’ determination to help their students in a way as if we are their real children is another reason which made them special. You can see in their eyes the fire of making sure that every students learn the lesson well and would go to great lengths to translate the daunting terms into a comprehensible form. It wasn't merely the subjects that guided us, but rather the teachers, whose dedication made us look at them in a way we had never before.
Lastly, our teachers embody what a true teacher is: someone who supports and inspires their students. They fostered the potential within us and led us to accomplish goals that we never thought we could. As William Ward said: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

God bless our teachers. And in centuries yet to be, I am sure teachers will always be honored because it is through their teachings that made one’s country great. Again, happy teachers day not only this day but in centuries yet to be.

Protracted Thoughts

Being bold doesn’t suggest arrogance; it does denote that I have dared to take chances.

Committing a mistake doesn’t suggest recklessness; it does denote that I’m a fallible being.

Keeping distance at friends doesn’t suggest indifference; it does denote that I’m planning the right approach.

Reversing a decision doesn’t suggest fickleness, it does denote that I have a larger conception of things.

Being always present with you doesn’t suggest tutelage, it does denote that I care so much.

Being humorous doesn’t suggest lack of seriousness, it does denote that I have the guts of laughing in this cruel world.

Being loquacious doesn’t suggest talkativeness, it does denote that I have the initiative to open up a conversation.

Speaking nonsense doesn’t suggest ignorance and stupidity, it does denote I’m not a show-off on wisdom and knowledge.

Temporarily withholding the truth doesn’t suggest dishonesty, it does denote I’m waiting for the proper time to make it known permanently.

Waiting doesn’t suggest folly, it does denote patience.

Bravely facing the odds doesn’t suggest foolhardiness, it does denote courage.

Being young in age doesn’t suggest immaturity, it does denote I still have the days to enjoy my youth while learning lessons from history.

Making you an inspiration doesn’t suggest apotheosis, it does denote I have placed you in the pedestal – worthy of love and respect.

Compromising love to friendship doesn’t suggest stepping on a wrong lane, it does denote that I don’t know how to leave you.

Surrendering my feelings for you to God doesn’t suggest narrowmindedness, it does denote that I have faith in “HIM”.



But if you shall think otherwise
And now slapping me as a man
And consequently stripping my dignity
I shall let you go no matter how hurt I am
Life should go on without you
A God-given mission must be fulfilled
For only through it that I found my wrth
And because my world had lost the color you gave
I’ll be doing it without the best
(For what is the sense of having temporary happiness
if it shall leave permanent pain?)
Therefore my life will continue
And be consoled once in a while
That “it is better to have risked
than have not risked at all”.