My insights

I re-applied in Ateneo Grade School last March. One of the requirements is to write my insights on the mission-vision of the Ateneo Grade School. I was able to write the essay below with much help from my dear friend (thank you very much). Unfortunately, this essay was only read by 2 members of the administration because I was not allowed by the school to continue with my application (because the school didn't want to have a precedent). A few of my friends have read this also. I am posting this essay because I want to share these thoughts I have about being "man for others". I am also sharing this because others may have had a similar experience.

My bestfriend once asked me which was better, someone who KNOWS how to build a house or someone who WANTS to build a house? It’s like choosing between one who has the mind and one who has the heart.

I used to teach in the Ateneo Grade School and during my first year of teaching I had the privilege of being the Grade 4 homeroom adviser of Ace Ele. Ace was a smart student, but more than that, I would describe him as a very curious student. He would ask questions that were beyond the lesson.

Ace was also a very well rounded student. As a class officer, Ace made it a point to perform his duties while still being a classmate to his classmates. He was also witty and would never fail to crack a joke in class. He was also a member of the Ateneo Children’s Theater.

During my last year as a teacher in Ateneo, I also had the honor of having Martin Afable in my Grade 4 homeroom class. Martin, like Ace, was a smart boy. He was not an officer, but Martin was the kind of student whom classmates could easily get along with. The year that Martin was my student was also the year that he was diagnosed to have a brain tumor. His head was shaved before he had an operation. Even though he was almost totally blind, Martin wanted to be part of the choral recitation of our class. There he was on stage, sitting on a chair with his classmates. He said his one line with much gusto.

Martin was able to attend the first few months of the Grade 5, but he eventually became too weak to go to school and had to have home schooling. I visited Martin in his house several times. He was bedridden, blind, and sometimes in pain. And yet, I could see his will to live and the strength of his faith. He would tell me jokes and even massage my forehead just to prove he was good at it.
Ace and Martin are just two of my former students in the Ateneo Grade School whom I think are ideal Ateneo products. They do not just have the mind, but they also have the heart. Ace Ele is now in 3rd year college in the Ateneo, and is very active in Gawad Kalinga. Martin Afable passed away in 1999. However, before Martin went into a coma, he was full of life. He was able to paint and sing and interact with as many people as he could.

Having said all these, my insight on the Mission-Vision of Ateneo Grade School is this: Having the mind is equally as important as having the heart. Teaching a student “one plus one equals two” is as important as teaching him that “patience plus understanding equals a good relationship”. Both lessons are equally important. As educators, we may know by heart the subject that we teach, and we may be able to impart this knowledge in ways that students can easily grasp. However, I believe it is important also to teach students values that will help them throughout their lives. By doing so, we will have students who will later on KNOW how to and WANT to build a house.

Of course there are students who would later on not only know how to and want to build a house but also know WHY he wants to build a house. I am lucky to have met one of these students. I recently got reconnected with Ace Ele and found out how he is very into Gawad Kalinga. He finds fulfillment in helping others build their homes. He also goes around the different units of the Ateneo promoting Gawad Kalinga and it’s purpose. He KNOWS how to build a house. He WANTS to build a house. He WANTS to build houses for others too. I am so sure that it is through God’s grace and what he has learned from the Ateneo that makes Ace what he is today: A man who knows what to do and wants to do it, not only for himself, but for others and ultimately ad majorem Dei gloriam.