NSTP : Better than any other

The First Day : The Next Step
My work as a student was never suspended to the four corners of the classrooms. It is true that the greatest teachers of our lives are our experiences.

It was a fine Saturday morning. I woke up very early because I was very excited about my first day of tutoring the students of Southville I Elementary School. When I reached MCL, our professor in NSTP 013, Prof. Vilma Malabuyoc, told me and my groupmates that we were about to be joined together with the group Carlyn Batara, whose group was about to conduct a tutorial service also, but then at Banlic Elementary School.

When we were about to ride the jeepney, we felt excited and very hopeful that the students will accept us with warm welcome, and they did. We arrived at the school a bit late because of some problems we had encountered on our way to the school. That day was really hot, but we just found ourselves laughing about the hot and humid weather.

As we enter the classroom, me, Maan (Ma. Anna Mae Isidro) and Roj (Rogeross Berana) introduced ourselves. Then we started knowing them by asking some questions about math. We finally then noticed the jolliness of Rodel. As we go on with our discussion, Rodel was the only student who was fond of answering. Even though some of his answers were not right, he still continued to answer. As I observed him, I thought of him as their class valedictorian. And my suspicion was right; he was their class valedictorian.

Going back to what I was saying, we discussed fractions; since that’s the topic they were having a hard time with. We opted to add a little twist in the way we attack with the topic. We chose to play a mind game. The class was divided into three groups, and we let them name it. One was named KSG; the other was MOG (Mathematicians On the Go), and Dot3. We gave them 5 different fraction problems and we let them answer it on the board. At the end of the game, the KSG turned out to be the winner. They were given chocolate and candies as prizes. We then said our goodbyes for the moment and told them that we will return for the next week.


The Second Day : Hurt, yet Hopeful
The next day of our tutorial was a total hopeful day because we weren’t just the ones hoping for another day, but also our “friends”. This time, Roj said his apologies for not coming because he was having a headache. His body’s energy was not enough to cover up the whole day, and he still needs to attend to some family commitments. Though Roj could not make it, Prof. Vilma gave us new companions. Maan and me felt relieved and happy because we have some new faces to show to our newfound friends. J

Since it was another day, another subject was discussed. I personally discussed with them Science, particularly about stars; its evolution and all stuffs related to the heavenly bodies. Gotchie’s group facilitated a game, and they used the format of a game show in Willie Revilliame’s Wowwowee. Pau (Ma. Paulina Suarez) served as the host of the game and the other members as the buzzers. The groups of last week’s game were retained, but their scores were returned to zero for fairness and equality. At the end of the day, MOG won and they received prizes such as notebooks, pencils, crayons and many others. Consolation prizes like chocolates and candies were given to Dot3 and KSG.

As we end our session, our friends were a little bit disappointed when they found out that it was our last day of visiting them. But, they got our cellphone numbers so we can still keep in contact. Our friends, especially the girls, are so eager to know the cellphone number of Roj. And without further notice from Roj, we gave his number. J

I can tell that it was fun serving other people especially kids. I am very, very happy that Prof. Malabuyoc and our administrators allowed us to have a first hand experience of being immersed in such an environment, so warm, so full of hopes and dreams that are yet to come true. As I close another chapter in my life, I will never forget these kids who had been and always will be part of my life. They made me feel accepted and respected. To them, thank you so much. And to God, a million thanks to You for having our paths crossed in a very extraordinary way.

EXCELLENCE and VIRTUE are the values that I will always share with whoever I may be with. I will share it the way MCL did to me to become a more humane member of our society.