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P A T
"Hoy, mamsh!" Nagising ako nang bigla na lang may tumapik nang malakas sa likod ko.
I sat straight while casually checking my watch, and almost flipped out when I realized that it was already 11:30.
I missed my first class.
I turned around and saw my friend, Mads, looking worriedly at me.
"Anong nangyari sa iyo? Wala ka kanina. Hinanap ka ni Sir Ferdz. Submission pa naman no'ng report. In-extend niya na nga 'yong deadline, 'di ba? Akala ko tinapos mo na 'yon kagabi?" tuloy-tuloy na sermon niya.
Hindi ako makapaniwalang nakatulog ako sa library! Nandito kasi ako sa pinakasulok, sa likod ng isang malaking bookshelf, kaya siguro ay hindi ako napansin ng librarian.
OMG. I can't fail Sir Ferdz's class! Major subject namin 'yon!
I quickly apologized to Mads, grabbed all my stuff, and ran as fast as I could. Nasa dulo ng campus ang library building at nasa likod naman no'n ang faculty. Mabuti na lang at paakyat pa lang si Sir Ferdz nang abutan ko siya.
"Oh, Pat. What happened to you? You weren't in my class," nag-aalalang tanong niya nang iabot ko sa kaniya ang report papers ko.
"Emergency lang po talaga, Sir. I'm sorry! Natapos ko na po 'tong report kagabi," I stammered, almost out of breath.
Sir Ferdz just smiled nicely at me and took the papers from my hand. "That's okay. Just inform me if you won't make it to my class next time. Okay?" Ngiti niya. "Or at least, inform your friends para sila ang magsabi sa akin," mabait na bilin niya.
He is a fine old man who is perhaps in his early 60s, with gray hair, chubby cheeks, and a bulging stomach. He looks like your typical tito, except he's openly gay and proud about it.
"Alam ko naman na mahirap ang buhay ng mga college students. I've been there before. You can be honest with me," pahayag niya. "I chose this field because I want to share my knowledge, at hindi para pahirapan ang mga estudyante ko. You, as future teachers in the making, should apply that to your future students as well," he said softly. "Remember, what I always tell you in class? Teachers should not make things harder for their students, but the other way around." And with that, he smiled and patted me on the shoulder before walking away.
I was at a loss for words because of the overwhelming gratitude that I felt for Sir Ferdz. To be honest, I was not sure which program to take when I first got here. I was already taking Education back when I was still in Patterson, but I figured that if I wanted a fresh start, maybe I should shift to a different course, too.
I had a lot of doubts and I wasn't confident about myself, but meeting Sir Ferdz helped changed my mind. I decided to still pursue Education in my aspiration to become a teacher just like him. And I really hope that one day, I can inspire my students the same way, too.
