A Semantic Malfunction

In the past weeks and months, I have noticed something about myself, I started comparing myself to other people my age. I began to look at their achievements in terms of the car they are driving, the place they are going to, and the salaries   they receive. It was a very depressing thing to do. You see, being a teacher does not pay much and it certainly is not a fabulous career where you get to jet set around the world or even remotely fund a dream back-packing trip. It only allows you to live with dignity. The comparisons I made of myself to others sent me to a spiral downward pit of emptiness. There must be something more to life. But then I realized that I made a big mistake. It was not right of me to see things in terms of material gain. Happiness and real success is not measured after all through what you gain, but how content you are with the blessings and graces that God provides you every day. I believe I have known this all along, but it must be that ...

Sometimes, if I am alone, I tend to lose sight of my life's purpose. Just like earlier today, I was alone inside the bus going home and I felt something embracing my heart. It is not an embrace of warmth and familiarity. It is rather an embrace of coldness and aloofness. It is unfamiliar and yet something I have felt before. It is during these moments that I begin to wonder what I am still doing with my life and if I am able to identify it, I question myself why I am doing those things. The clear direction which I have set for myself becomes blurry, that losing one's way is totally inevitable. I tried to reflect upon this experience. I realized that this feeling is totally unnecessary and absolutely unhealthy. I think that this is only but a result of being tired and weary of the many things that I am doing. It is sometimes overwhelming that probably sadness is trying to seep through the crevices that this weariness is creating and thus taking advantage of this weakness ...

These are just some of the things that reminds me of my teaching life. I guess it all started under the shade of a tree of our church. Under that tree, I was with youngsters of about 11-12 years old and I was teaching them their catechism. When I was in high school, I used to be a catechist in our parish. I will never forget those wonderful years of my life because I felt so happy and complete with what I am doing. During that time I felt as if I have hit the target of what I am supposed to be doing with my life. I thought that I have discovered the gift that remained hidden inside me throughout those years. I have come to the conclusion that teaching must be the right job for me. However in those years of being a catechist, I never thought of myself as a classroom teacher. I have actually imagined myself as a teacher of a different sort, a teacher who stands in the pulpit and preaches the word of God and a teacher who celebrates the mass. I felt that I wanted to be a priest. ...

Allow me to give you 5 reasons why teaching is the best job ever. Here it is: (1)   You'll get tons of workload; (2) you have to smile even in your worst days; (3) you'll meet the most notorious student; (4) you'll have to take on multiple professions; (5) and you have to love even when it already hurts . Ahhh… Ok, that did not sound very optimistic right? But I promise you that if you read further, I might just be able to change your mind and heart about the teaching profession. 1. You'll get tons of workload. One of the main tasks of a teacher is to prepare a learning plan and execute it. He/she has to do it each and every day. At the end of each school day, a teacher has to check mountains of test papers and worse, tons of essays. To make the work even more burdensome, there are other school forms that must be accomplished. But no matter, each carefully prepared lesson plan, each mark and constructive comment on the student's paper, and each data on the ...

A Bosconian will always think of Don Bosco (I am referring to the school, Parish, or Youth Center) as a home. It is our one and true home as a Bosconian. And whether you are a Bosconian from a certain Don Bosco setting and you chanced to visit a different one, you cannot but still feel a sense of kinship. This is an experience of mine in my trips to different Don Bosco settings. I began to wonder why there is always a sense of affinity as I go from one Don Bosco setting to the other. After much careful musings, I think I was able to realize why. Different Don Bosco settings share similar characteristics and it is so effective in forming young people to be good Christians and honest citizens. So my dear friends, you know you're in Don Bosco when… 1. There is a big and open space The reason behind the big and open space is for Bosconians to be able to run, jump, shout, and make noise. Bosconians need a big space so that they can enjoy themselves and enjoy the company o...

The summer season is almost over, and the time has come again to prepare ourselves for the upcoming school year. The previous school years have a lot of things to teach us as students. Now is the time for us once again to start fresh and be a better version of ourselves. Let me give you 5 simple tips to better prepare yourself for the coming school year. 1. Organize your things First and foremost, it is our duty as Bosconians to be the ones accountable for our own things. Although we have our parents to prepare for our stuff, it is not their duty but ours. We should be the ones viewing our checklist of school materials whether we have completed it or not. It is but time that we take some responsibility for ourselves. 2. Mentally prepare yourself Aside from preparing ourselves physically, you have to set your mind that the summer season is almost over. We must avoid a gloomy face because summer is ending. Rather, we must put on a smiling countenance and be optimistic for ...

A Bosconian's identity is always marked with a great devotion to the blessed mother, Mary Help of Christians. It cannot be otherwise because Don Bosco himself did say that a young person who enters a Salesian setting was brought there by no less than the Blessed Mother herself. And as a Bosconian starts to get immersed with the Salesian spirituality, he/she cannot help but to have a deep devotion and love for the Mother Mary. On a personal note, when I was young, I never had a relationship with the Blessed Mother. I never ever had an inkling as to her significance in my life. My thoughts of her bordered only on the statues of her that I see everywhere. When I became a Catechist at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Paranaque, I think that at that moment, God planted a seed in me which will eventually help me grow a love for Mary. In our shrine's Oratory, we always prayed the rosary every Saturday and we will sing Marian songs. Every time that a feast of Mary...