“Memoire”

by: Andrea Villa

I can still hear the music you created every time you pluck your guitar. I can still feel the sun's lingering kiss and the wind's blowing breeze everytime you take us to the fields. I can still smell the coffee's sweet scent every morning. I can still remember the song you usually played with your cassette player. I can still visualize your beautiful smile telling us a good luck. And I can still hear those words, those words telling us to fight and not to give up.

Many years had passed, but still, everything, every little thing, every memory that we've shared is stuck in my mind. They keep on playing like a scene in a movie. It feels like I don't have the strength and rights to forget them all.

Because how could I? How could I forget those memories that I've shared with such a wonderful person. You’re one of the persons that inspire me to walk along this path and travel within this journey of becoming a teacher. You're one of the teachers that I admire the most. One of my second mother that I salute.

We,your former students know and feel how you love your profession. You're one of the effective teacher that I know. You didn't just read,write,read,write but rather you bring your lessons into life. You didn't just put all the knowledge in your student's mind but instead you let them discover. You didn't let your students be alone, you always give them a companion everytime they experience a new thing. You integrate one subject to another, from values to music, from music to science and from science to arts. You love your students to work in group because for you collaboration is a great way of learning. You test your students’ knowledge and understanding not only through exams and quizzes but rather you make it more interesting and exciting. You let them perform through group activities,role playing and reporting. Despite of this, you still make sure that all of the activities are based on a specific curriculum guide.

And now,look where your hardships brought you. You are now a principal, a great principal indeed. They are lucky to have you for they have such an amazing person.

I, and your other former students are the living proof of all of these. We can still remember how you sang and taught us the dendrites song during our science period. During Arts class in MAPEH, you won't show us a picture of a field to draw, instead you bring us to a real rice field, feeling it's heat from the sun and the cold from the wind. Then, the moment we saw you placed your cassette tape in the cassette player, we already know what to do. We are all ready to sing "Magkaisa," "Handogng Pilipino saMundo," and "Kapaligiran." Before that year ends we already memorize those songs.

We know how dedicated you are. You even bring your students in your home to review for an upcoming contest. I can still recall those nights, those sleepless but unforgettable nights. And then, every morning, the first thing that will greet us is the aroma of the coffee waiting for us in the table.

You're not just a teacher, an adviser,a mother,a friend, you are more than everything.  You didn't just filled our minds with knowledge but also our hearts with those experiences. Ma'am Liza Castillo, you are indeed one of the best teacher that I’ve ever met.

Teachers doesn’t only provide our minds with the knowledge that we need but rather they also filled our hearts with their infinite wisdom. They take our hands to the right path, opens our mind with the truth and touches our heart with the values that we all need.