My respect to the school president Reynaldo P.
Valmores RPh, to the vice president for academic affairs,
Dr. Julius Sol Jamero, to the school principal Nympha Rio Delsocorra maam, faculty and staff, students,
the thrill in your eyes indicates how warm and exciting a morning it is. I am to speak about the 3 truths
behind a student’s life and I must admit, things could have turned a rather different course had I known
these truths sooner than my realization. But before I start, I am very much aware that students like to be
engaged so I prepared a little something for you.
And so to avoid the deafening scream of lies and proliferation of misinformation that may misguide you
in your pursuit of educational attainment, brace yourself as I bestow upon you the first truth:
Here we go; first on the list ---THE WORLD IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO MAKE SENSE TO YOU--- sadly
enough, we are the only species on this planet that needs to be motivated to live. Once I saw a stray dog
got hit by car, lucky enough the dog survived but it was limping and whimpers in agony as it was making
its way to the bushes and hid. On my way to school, for every day, I witnessed its recovery. This dog was
eating anything available from grass to insects within its reach. I tried to give it food but it was so
reluctant and suspicious to humans which led me to a conclusion that it’s been through a lot this dog.
Other animals would do the same but humans…? Well, things are quite complicated. You ask a grade 1
or grade 2 pupil “what do you want to become in the future?” they will say “a doctor, a soldier, a
teacher –they’re so sure. But if you ask high school students, only a few can answer as though the
remainder seemed to have forgotten to dream. Something went wrong I surmise…? And at their lowest,
they act like it’s them against the world when the truth is it’s just them against themselves. I often
observe students not coming to school because she and her boyfriend are not in good terms. I also
observed students reluctant to comply or cooperate simply because they’re not motivated, they don’t
feel good in other words. Well, I’m telling you; you don’t need to feel good to get the job done, you
need to get the job done and that you may have a chance at feeling good. I’m pretty sure teachers
couldn’t agree much right? Please, do not let the things that you cannot do get in the way to accomplish
the things that you can do.
Second, ---ADVENTURE MAY HARM AND KILL YOU BUT ROUTINE KILLS FAR MORE QUICKLY--- who
among you here loves playing Mobile Legends raise your hand? Now, what if someone would pay you to
play mobile legends 6 days a week, 10 hours a day? Would you accept it? I’ve seen this before and I
experienced it myself. I love fishing and it’s a leisure activity that requires money. We pay for fishing
rods, fishing reels, fishing gears and etc. but if someone would pay me to go fishing for 6 times a week, 8
hours a day? I will quit eventually because my passion would turn into work, and whenever there’s
work, there’s a routine where you need to wake up at this hour and go home at this hour, and doing it
for a long time would be dull. The same thing can happen to you dear students if you don’t find things
that would help you enjoy school. Make new friends, learn a new song, engage into sports or arts. Join a
school competition, celebrate victory, maintain good grades, and appreciate the people that helped you
pull through as you would appreciate a celebrity who doesn’t even know you exist.
Last, this is a bit controversial but I will say it anyway ---EDUCATION IS NOT THE KEY TO SUCCESS--- at
least not directly. If education is the key to success, why are we surrounded by poor graduates and rich
criminals? I am not saying that you should become one, what I’m trying to imply is that that’s not how
education works. If one day you turn into the professional you wanted to become and think that you are
better than others, well remember that common sense does not require any degree. Have you seen that
viral video where this trans-person hold the waiter accountable for mistakenly use appropriate
pronoun? Come on! Life is difficult enough, it took me 3 years in elementary to learn she is, he was, they
were. Forgive me but as an English teacher, I cannot risk the use of correct grammar to simply tolerate
some people’s feelings. Don’t get me wrong, if you are a biological male and identify as a female, I
respect that as it is a right to be entitled to oneself. But to make the world adjust to how you feel? Hey!
We straights have rights too! Remember, the eyes only see what the brain is prepared to understand
and that’s why education is important. If you get stuck in the real world, you choose to think and
provide yourself a solution to your predicaments because you’ve learned many things in school.
Education is not about being overly successful that you own a car instead of a bike, but the realization
that owning a car or owning a bike, the road remains the same. It’s not about Iphone is better than
android, but the idea that you contacts remain the same. Dear students, why you’re here is a question I
can answer easily. You are to learn and these learning will help you become a better person not just in
terms of work but essentially in decision-making, weighing options, identifying consequences, and how
to respond with appropriate manners; which then defines success.
