October 1, 2012; just this afternoon...
As I entered the Grade Six' classroom for the English class, the students eventually greeted me with their usual energetic and loud, "Good afternoon, Ma'am Ella! Christ is my Savior and Lord!"
I greeted them in return. What's odd and unusual is that a student, Esther, looked at me with a surprised face. I wondered why. As I looked at her, I saw her running towards another classmate, Geneveve. Afterwards, they asked for my permission, "Ma'am, may we go out?" I allowed them to do so, and off they went.
As I prepared my things for today's discussion, the two of them, Esther and Geneveve, entered the classroom. Esther was carrying something on her hand which I easily noticed; it's a small box with a lovely cover. She moved towards me with Geneveve behind her and said, "Ma'am we have a gift for you! But please close your eyes." With her pleading, I was convinced to close my eyes (though I already saw what she was holding) and when I opened my eyes, I saw the box that she was hiding. I asked her, "What's this?" and I peeped in the box. I saw monetary denominations of 1s, 5s and 20s. I also noticed that there were writings on the box' cover,
"If you love Ms. Ella, place your money here. Anything will do. (P1, P5, P10, P20)"
On the other side was, "SAVINGS FOR SHOES."
"We are supposed to give you shoes for December," they said. "But you already bought one."
I actually have the resources to buy a new pair of shoes, but I am not doing so because the flat shoes that I had were so comfortable that I wouldn't want to buy a new one. This is also because of the so-called sentimental value, for my father gave me that pair of shoes. However, I decided to buy a new one because the shoes that I had started to rip off due to excessive use.
I felt that my students were so disappointed seeing that I am wearing a new pair of high-heeled shoes which my boyfriend and I bought last Saturday (September 29).
"How much is the money that you have in the box?" I asked them.
"We do not know. We're not counting it."
I was really hesitant to accept the money that they're giving me, so I hand it to them and said, "Save your money. You will be needing that in the future."
I was overjoyed because of their simple but remarkable gesture. I didn’t forget to thank them. I wasn't expecting anything from them, but here they are, planning to give me a pair of shoes from their savings. Maybe students are really like that. You might not be aware that they are looking even at the smallest detail of your physical appearance or personality.
Now, I have realized the real reason why they would stand beside me and compare their shoes with mine. Because of the new high-heeled shoes that I bought, I'm sure that their endless query of,
"Ma'am, anong size ng paa mo?" will now be over. :')
_HAPPY TEACHERS' MONTH TO ALL THE TEACHERS! :)
~anyD
