A Blessing Called St. John Vianney

Three years ago, I got a call  from St. John Vianney's Primary School and was asked if I was available to do casual work the next day. I was and so, this chapter of my journey begins.

One day led to a few more days, a few more days led to a few short blocks, and a few short blocks led to a temporary full-time position, the last one being an instrument of blessings and a big blessing in itself. 

How do I even begin? 

SJV has allowed me to re-ignite the passion I have for teaching and share it with people who also do not see it as a job but a vocation. A chance to make a difference in the lives of our students. An opportunity to teach them not only about letters or numbers, but about life itself. To mold them to be men and women of faith and of character. After all, at the end of the day, it is all about our students and not us, teachers. And I would like to believe that everyone in the teaching profession share the same principle.

SJV has allowed me to meet and work with amazing people who did not think twice of sharing their talents, skills, and expertise. Ready to lend a helping hand and answer my never ending questions so I can get things done. I will never forget the first day I did my casual work when one angel, disguised as a colleague have given me reminders before we went to church and celebrated mass with the students that morning. That was just the beginning! From opening their doors so I can attend their Staff Development Days to meet my requirements with BOSTES, to helping me photocopy materials, to laminating visual aids, to even sharing their passwords so I can access shared files, to watching over the class when I needed to go toilet, to swap duties so I cannot miss out on my kids' after-school activities, to letting me use their computers so I can print to the coloured printer, to giving tips when I had my first Parent-Teacher Interviews, and to those who offered help when I needed to write the reports. To those who believed in me and saw the real me. To my colleagues who stopped what they were doing to listen to my stories. And yes, even to those who even shared valuable parenting and holiday tips! It's endless! Everyday was an opportunity to meet angels in disguise.

On a personal note, SJV has given me and my husband the opportunity to go out of our comfort zones so we can both make things work at home, at work, with our studies and with our service -- which I thought was impossible at the beginning. It was an instrument for the two of us to grow together and work together and for that I am forever grateful. 

SJV has given me the opportunity to meet 30 beautiful angels who have taught me more than what I have taught them. The times they taught me the value of patience when I was almost at my wits end. The times they taught me to celebrate life, to be tough, to learn lessons from the wrong choices we've made...the list goes on. 

This year has been truly special. More than the opportunity to teach them to become better readers, writers, artists, mathematicians or athletes, I am happy to know that I was able to touch the lives of my students in the best way I can. The times when they needed someone to listen to them and share their joys, achievements, fears and disappointments -- when they had an argument with Mum, when Dad didn't show up as promised during an assembly, of how the family is faring as Dad tries to battle an illness, of how they went up their swimming class level, of how they fared during their karate class assessment, and of how they showcased their dancing and singing talents within the community. The times when they needed someone to believe in them when everyone else has given up on them. The opportunity to push them because you know they can do it. The times when you needed to be more of a parent, than a teacher. The opportunity to remind myself why I said yes to this calling 15 years ago. All of these, would not have been possible without SJV.

Today, another chapter of my journey ends and I will be bringing along with me all the happy memories I have shared with colleagues, all the lessons I've learned as I tried to become better at this vocation, the new friendships (and hopefully, lasting friendships) I have made. I will forever be grateful and thankful for this blessing, a blessing which is called St. John Vianney.

"1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Lastly,  a time to let go and a time to move on.

Trying to Convert

Like you, I might be as guilty as the other millions of mums (or dads), who post their kids' photos on social media. It started with Friendster. I was so happy and impressed with the idea that I can already show photos of the latest events in my life. It didn't help that Facebook came into the picture. When it came, as others put it, the rest was history! Every event, every new thing, everything...share, share, share. I think it became worse when I had my kids! As a proud mum to two beautiful children, I can't help but feel the "need" to share their achievements, craziness and a whole lot of other stuff. This until I came upon this article:

There were some powerful words that struck me as a parent and made me think about my social media habits.

Here are some:

"The problem is that Facebook is only one site. With every status update, YouTube video, and birthday blog post, Kate’s parents are preventing her from any hope of future anonymity."

"But they’re essentially robbing her of a digital adulthood that’s free of bias and presupposition. "

One of the reasons why I post their pictures on my account, aside from the one I stated above, is the fact that I want to share it too with their grandparents, uncles and aunties based in Manila. But the article made me think because it does make sense. Now, when we gather with family and friends for an occasion, my son gets surprised when people greet him for a recent award he got or for a recent event that happened at school or at home. People are starting to create an impression of my children of how they are, their attitude and behavior based on what I post on my account. And if my kids suddenly get temper tantrums or acts differently from the image they have created in their minds, our family and friends get shocked. This I think is unfair for my kids. I feel people are putting them in a box, when they are actually circles, as a result of the posts I have made. This, in addition to the effects stated in the article. 

At this time, I am trying to convert. I have discussed this with my husband and he was very much agreeable to it, after all, he is one of the few who has decided not to create a Facebook account up to this very day! Will this mean no more photos posted and shared? Not really. Hubby and I agreed to continue to share family photos but no more specific albums done for the children. No more picture tags and will try my best to lessen what I'm sharing, yes that includes the status updates involving my kids. Thinking about it, some special moments at home have lost its magic because I shared them with the "whole world."

I hope it's not yet too late to start again and protect the identity of my children.