A Farewell
August 21, 2009 by edzguanko
I was a delinquent student back in college. I always exceeded the number of absences allowed, and because I was rarely in class I never really got to know my classmates or professors very well.
During my third year, after repeatedly failing Math 17, I shifted my major to Special Education and my minor to Social Studies. I wasn’t particularly interested in these fields but most of my friends were taking them so I said, hey, what the heck.
He was my Social Studies professor, and those who had taken his classes said that you either love him or hate him. There’s no middle ground.
The truth was, I only wanted to take his subjects because my friends said it’s easy to get a passing grade from him. I signed up for one class and then he practically forced me to cancel my other Social Studies subject (taught by a different professor) and sign up for his other one. The reason: his classes were in danger of being dissolved unless he comes up with a decent number of students. Still, there were only four of us in one class and six in the other.
His classes weren’t dissolved, indeed, he fought the college tooth and nail to stay afloat. And it wasn’t because he would lose his job, but because he truly believed that Social Studies is key to instilling patriotism in the Filipino youth. His passion for our country was infectious, and his unconventional teaching methods made our classes feel like having coffee with a friend while discussing national affairs.
His biggest source of frustration and anger during that time was the Revised Basic Education Curriculum (RBEC). RBEC combined Social Studies with other subjects (H.E., Music, Art, P.E., and G.M.R.C.) into one big subject called Makabayan. He fought the DepEd on this, and at one point we were asked to form a rally in front of the DepEd office to voice our opposition.
Passionate as he was, though, our discussions in class weren’t always serious. He injected anecdotes, sometimes relevant to the topic being discussed, sometimes not. My favorite one was about his wife. He said, before he married her she was a sweet lamb. After he married her she turned into a crouching tiger, hidden dragon. But it was pretty obvious he was smitten with her.
All in all, I took three of his classes. I couldn’t remember reading any textbook for the assignments he gave… all we needed was the newspaper, a critical mind, our fervent love for our country, and a desire to change things for the better.
If he was still alive, I doubt he’d remember me. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I remember him, and the things I learned from him, and I hope and pray that all of his students would remember him and honor his memory by loving this country and trying to make a difference.
Goodbye, Sir. And thank you.
(For Prof. Mabuhay Alonzo, U.P. College of Education)
