Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sanctifying Grace

It was Friday, March 12, 2010. I was an ambitious and challenged individual. Ambitious because I felt that my surrounding in Don Bosco Makati was no longer challenging. I was happpy and fulfilled in Don Bosco. I have been with the Salesian school system for a total of 8 years already, and I wanted a change in environment. Challenged because I knew I could do more. So it was that I was browsing through websites of different schools and I happened to find an opening for a part time faculty in a school that I perceived to be one out of the ordinary. It was called Singapore School Manila. So I grabbed the so-called opportunity and applied.


Monday, March 15, I received a call from the school asking me to come for an interview. Thursday, March 18, I came for demo teaching. Thursday, March 25, I signed my contract. Memories... memories... memories... I even asked my friends to pray for me to get the job... and here I saw the power of prayer.... hehehe... Well, as we say, the rest is history...


This school year has not been a good ride for me. It is the most dragging one. I would remember my walks from the MRT station to the school. When I reached the highway, and as I walked by the walls of the Paseo, people were scarce and it was the right place to start cursing just lo unleash the hard felt tension. March 31, 2011 was far from reach during that time. Hell, I didn't even want to finish my contract.


As the succeeding terms progressed, I only had one question in mind, "Dear Lord, why did you bring me to this blasted place?" I believed in my heart that God was a wise genius. Everything was brought to fruition according to his wisdom. And so I waited.

At this point, I would like to share with you some of my realizations and reflections on this school year that will soon come to pass...


I


God was actually teaching me to be patient. He placed me in what I could considered the lowliest and most degrading point as an educator and I could hear him tell me... "Look, things could be better or it could be worst. There are no perfect situations but we can make the most of what we have."


II


I consider myself a teacher who is very young in the profession and I know there is so much more to learn. In my earlier years of teaching I have always held on to my expectations. Expectations could make or break us. Ergo, don't have expectations. If something happens that is beyond your control, screw it - get over it. If something extremely good happens in the journey, consider it a bonus. There are other good things in life to see and ponder!


III


Happiness is essential to attain excellence. If you are happy with what you do, then the rest follows. Ergo, do the things you love to do in a place where you can be happy. Then, the rest will follow.


IV


Persistence. God only puts you in a place that He knows you can handle. As the atheist philosopher, Nietzsche, puts it: "What does not break you makes you stronger."


V


People. We are social beings who depend on others. I am thankful for the many wonderful people I've met in the process. At its great to have crossed roads.


VI


Smile. The place taught me to smile, to SMILE MORE. Tuwing pumapasok ako sa Primary Faculty room ng naka ngiti, ang parating lines ng mga teachers, "Siguro wala ka nanamang ginagawa!" Hindi naman sa walang ginagawa, I just needed to smile. It was one way of easing the tension from the so stressful environment. One of the paired-values taught to us Bosconians is "joy and optimism."


VII


Humility. God placed me in a situation that I could hardly control. And I guess it was training ground to see how I would manage without losing my strings... well, maybe not loosing my strings that much....


VIII


Finding God. A Bosconian confined with Bosconian practices. That was me before SSM. I took spirituality for granted. I took it for granted because it was just within reach. When I left, well, it made me appreciate my faith more because I learned to make Him part of everything. It led me to a spiritual sojourn. And of all the things that I would consider blessings fom a place where I expected this least to be, this happens to be the best.


This school year has been a year of grace.


As the Benedictine Fathers put it, "that in all things, God may be glorified."



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