Did you know that my favorite subject is English.
Seriously.
Maybe because i was never good at math, chemistry or not even in home economics. One day i told myself, if ever someone would ask me what my favorite subject is, I would say English.
I always thought that English is the easiest subject to get away with. It's not an exact science. You don't need to be perfect, just as long as you don't sound awkward or jejemonic. You're good to go.
However, this was not the case a few years back.
English is not my favorite subject. In fact, I don't have a favorite subject.
I don't spell well. I don't speak well and I have stage fright, believe it or not. I can't even put my thoughts into writing without giving it a whole different meaning. Whenever our teacher asks us to summarize a story, i simply copy the first paragraph, get a few sentence in the middle and attach the ending and VOILA.
Then there's High school. harder subjects, harder classmates, harder teachers. Peer pressure is the only pressure i know, and boys are the only subjects i'm interested with.
The simple math and science is now trigonometry, geometry, biology and chemistry (we even have a TYPING subject).
English, my precious English became deeper and more demanding too. School suddenly became difficult.
I was in 3rd year when you became my English teacher. I heard a lot of stories about you. Not so good stories. Like how you raise your voice in class. and how you punish your misbehaving, undisciplined studes. In short, from what i heard, you are a terror teacher. And somehow, I agree.
Remember the time, you spent the whole hour in our class scolding us? Me specifically, because you heard me when i said SH*T at the back when you announced a pop quiz. You were so pissed, and i was scared.. I didn't mean it sir, and yet you embarrassed me in front of the class. In front of my super crush. At that moment I hated you and I lost my interest for a while.
In fact, i lost my mojo for English.
One day, you saw me crying just when our class is about to start. One of my dick classmates hit me with his shoe (he later claimed it was accidental, choz). You asked me what happened and who did it, but i kept mum since i still had that "tampo" from our recent ordeal. When you found out who the culprit is, you immediately stepped out of the class and gave him a good beating, i mean scolding. At that very moment, i felt your sincerity and concern. You, showed him, that's for sure. And i told myself, "well sir, bawi ka na sa kin. Quits na tayo".
I quickly regained my interest in your subject after that. Also because there was never a dull moment in our 1-hour daily class.
Confidence is the key. That's what you said, when i reported on Nanotechnology. So now, I am over confident. Thanks to you :)
I became a bookworm (more of a python actually) because of you. I remember when you "forcefully" require us to pass a weekly home reading report. It was dreadful but i must admit it was fun. I finally learned how to summarize, thank God, and i understood what a deadline actually means when you refused to accept my half-an-hour late report.
I remember a poem we discussed in class. "Life is what you make it". It's one of my favorites simply because it's one of the very few poems that actually made sense up until now.
To say that you're a good teacher is an understatement. You are awesome. You are my favorite teacher.
Sadly.
I realized the only thing i didn't learn from your class is the proper way of ending essays/write-ups because honestly, i can't think of an un-kabogable way end this.
Just like you, I guess we don't really have to focus so much on coming up with an over-the-top, uber-dramatic ending when we already lived a great life, a great story. Like in every good book we finish, we know that every end is only another awesome beginning.
Thank you so much Sir Jo. See you when i see you. :)
PS. if it wasn't for you, i bet this blog will be written in pure jejemon. :)
