Last week, I got a pleasant surprise from Adoree, one of my former students.

Adoree Almira Jabanes… yes, such a nice name for a talented young lady. She and her older sister Aprilette were my former wards. I was their tutor when they were in grade school. I say both girls are really amazingly intelligent and excellent although in different fields. Aprilette excels in Math, while Adoree is more well versed in English. (Their eldest sister, Amorie, was also  my former student in high school and now manages her own ‘Am-Am Restaurant’.)

Anyway, in her text message, I learned that Adoree won in the regional collegiate level press conference - first place in editorial writing, and third in column writing. By the way, she is attending college at the St. Louis University in Baguio City with sis Aprilette who is graduating in Industrial Engineering this coming March. To my knowledge, Adoree too is graduating this year in Business Marketing/Management.

I am truly happy for my former students who make good not only in their later schooling, but in their careers most especially. And it makes my heart swell with pride whenever they give acknowledgment to the training they had from me in the classrooms.

As a teacher, I was not the horrifying or terror type. Of course it was not easy handling school boys and girls in their wild and confused stage of adolescence. Sometimes, you just got to lay down the iron rod to discipline them. But I believe one of the better ways to be a more effective mentor is by being a living model to your students. To gain respect, live what you preach, so they say. Also, you should be able to convince them that you  know precisely what you are talking about. Mastery of the subject matter is very important because in time, the truth will come out whether you are really smart, or just bluffing around.

I have long quit teaching… but i feel blessed that the rewards from this noble profession are still flowing in, not in cash but in more priceless terms.