Teacher's teacher

It was not long ago when Holy Week began and now the week ends with Easter Sunday. How days go by now but first things first: Happy Easter fellow Mentors! At a time when all we hear are bad news any semblance of Easter spirit is a welcome respite. Over and above material things is the Easter message, that Jesus is risen Alleluia!

Education as already been shared by experts hopes to "lift us up" and makes every individual more human and humane. Mentors always make this realization ever present. May we have more mentors who believe in this.

Let us begin this dream right there in our own homes.

In one of life's scenarios, I blurted out that I will soon retire when a colleague commented: "Oh, you will soon retire? so soon, you will become retarded!" This remark was one supposed to be taken as a joke although that somebody literally said it to my face. I want to believe that this guy who said it at the time it happened, did not mean it so I must take it lightly. Today, Holy Saturday, it just dawned on me that while I still take it as a joke, people out there should not be mean, said lightly or not.

Teachers, like us, have the uncanny ability to incorporate this setting in one  of our class discussions. Your parents will be proud of you and the world will be better for sure. We may have all the inventions that intelligence can produce but the best is not something technology can muster, it is only education that can painstakingly nurture every person to become humane.

In my case, I have been teaching since 1972 and all through the years, I think I have done my best in the field of teaching. Then I realize I am retiring on July 1 and am still farther away from saying with confidence to the Lord: "I have done my best and admit to all the students brought to my care that I was their best teacher." Does this mean I am accepting the comment that I am becoming retarded? No, I am just accepting the part of the painful realization that life is bigger than my retirement. I will continue to become a better person beyond retirement. I may be retiring but certainly and definitely  I am not becoming retarded.