Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Message to the Pandemic Graduates of Batch 2021

 I can still recall my first year in SSFI, you are still in grade one and Larissa is in grade five.  I saw you how little you were, still anxious about your parents leaving you with your then grade 1 adviser, teacher Hanna.  I wanted to comfort you back then but I still do not know how to approach you since it will just be the first time that you see me.

Then the “legend of the yoghurt sticks” came in.  I thought of finding ways where we can ease up the anxiety between us.  I prepared questions based on your lessons and you would answer for a reward… the mighty yoghurt sticks!

I was so happy that after Bernard Guevarra, you started queueing up in front of my office during snack breaks for questions and of course, the reward.  You would prepare yourselves for the question of the day.  I can still vividly recall Rafa answering the most difficult question:  What is my full name.  He intelligently looked into my ID and confidently replied the answer while his classmates exclaimed “that’s cheating” and he answered “Teacher Khaye didn’t say we can’t look for clues.”  It was the moment that your anxieties were broken.

Though I am glad seeing you move up to the next level, I am sad that I wasn’t able to hear your laughs and complains face to face.  You heard that right, COMPLAINS.  Because if it not the girls complaining against the boys, it’s the boys who would complain against the girls.

I remember too back then when Larissa would come to my office with Seo Jeong and we would make crafts in the afternoon.  We re-designed an old shirt and made it into a bag.  I would also remember Lars wanting to get pass the gates to buy coffee at 7-11 and sometimes using her charms to ask teachers buying their snacks outside to buy her one.

This pandemic has truly physically separated us all; It tumbled down the economy, shook systems and even took the lives of our love ones; but there are things that it cannot destroy: our will to learn, our will to keep us virtually together at least; and God’s promise to us the HE will never leave us nor forsake us. 

As we come to a close, I want you to know how rewarding it is to see you succeed this year.  Virtual class is not easy; it is far more difficult that face to face class, but look! You’ve won over the worst barrier of education.  I congratulate you for not giving up, for believing that you can learn even at a distance and for staying close to what we hold dear; our relationship with God.

I prayed, kept on praying and will continue to pray for all of you. Though some of you will leave us, I want you to know that you will always remain a part of the SSFI family.  Just message us, and surely, we’ll be there to help.

Soar high mighty SPURGEONISTAS! Claim your success as He sends you outside to build His kingdom!  Congratulations batch 2021.

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