Dear learners nationwide:
Good day!
We all have barely a week remaining before we return to our respective schools. This time, face-to-face classes will be the norm once again, albeit with numerous changes. I can see in your eyes and your smiles, as well as feel your enthusiasm, that you are all raring to return to school after two years of distance learning.
I understand that you were all crestfallen when schools were closed due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. Most of you lost the zest for learning and living since you were cooped up in your homes. Despite the lugubrious states of our economy and of education (which are, thank God, bouncing back), we all prayed fervently and hoped incessantly that the perfect time will come for all of us to be learning in the real classrooms. Yes, Virginia, the four walls of the classroom and beyond.
It has been utterly difficult for you all (and for us, your teachers, parents, and guardians) to have had an almost-nil opportunity to interact with our peers in person, unlike before when meeting up physically (not virtually) was de rigueur. To be deprived of warm hugs and human touch from our friends has been a nerve-wracking ordeal for all of us. Despite the sudden twists and turns we have all experienced since March 2020, we are positive our return to school is surely going to help us to regain the momentum we once almost lost.
Now that you are preparing for the August 22 opening of classes, please expect that our educational landscape is not going to be the same as those of the pre-pandemic eras. You will be prepping yourselves for hybrid classes as well as stringent safety protocols, which we all need to follow.
As one of your mentors from afar, I would like to remind you that we must not take things lightly, especially our physical health, mental well-being, and social development. You all need to vaccinate yourselves and exercise extra caution in order that you will not be part of the rising number of COVID casualties.
Please take great pains to exert much effort in studying because you have all once experienced a months-long lull in classes. You all have to catch up because frankly, we need to be on par with our foreign counterparts, who have been going to school for a year now, and I mean the edifice itself.
Be thankful for every day of your life and for every day that you will be in face-to-face classes. Never ever regress into miscreants who play hooky for no apparent reason (and sometimes just for kicks) and who rebel against authority figures. Learn how to be appreciative of the people who help you to attain quality education because once you neglect your studies, you will regret it later on.
Do not take my observations and admonitions as ego-blowing affronts or ornery cuss. Remember that elders such as yours truly are after your welfare and your successes in life.
Mark August 22 as the day you will start anew together with your classmates and peers. Cherish your relationships with them, and you will definitely grow and succeed together. Never take your family and friends for granted for they are the people who motivate you to be the best that you can be.
Stay happy in life, stay hungry for wisdom, and stay hopeful that our beloved Philippines and the rest of the world will recover from the debilitating, major malady called COVID-19!
Be pandemic-proof not only in terms of your social status but also in terms of your openness to learning and your faith in God! Above all, be prepared!
Sincerely yours,
THE ILOCANO EDUCATOR
GUESS WHAT, GUESS WHO!
GUESS WHAT: Presumptuousness and contempt are two of the secret trademarks of this in-demand actress/product endorser. According to my source, who is a manager of a major multinational company in the food and beverage industry, our subject has this tendency to be a diva like Jennifer Lopez or Mariah Carey. Once, this two-faced celebrity demanded that she have her own dressing room. Because she was born with a silver spoon, she never bothered to at least conceal her conyotic ways. There was even a time when our subject and the multinational company had several mall tours. Whenever our subject was tired, she tended to unleash her resting bitch face, which is in contrast to her wholesome, down-to-earth public image, and she would also unleash tantrums like a petulant Hollywood diva, which she is not.
What are the lessons of the story? Be thankful that you have projects to sustain your lifestyle. Treat the people around you equally and politely. Never brag about your social status even inconspicuously. Fame is fleeting no matter how talented or brilliant you are.
GUESS WHO: Who is this young reporter from a mainstream media outfit who does not bother to look good? I watched him/her deliver a news flash just recently. Though the young broadcaster was dressed to the nines, I saw his/her face full of blemishes and almost as rough as #160 sandpaper. Our subject is also known for speaking in a haughty tone and for being one of the biased media practitioners leaning towards the dilawan side. Even when this media practitioner was just starting out, s/he had been manifesting signs of hubris and partiality whenever s/he would report especially on topics related to particular pro-administration personalities. Even when conducting interviews with ordinary people, s/he would exercise superiority over his/her interviewees.
What are the lessons of the story? Take care of your looks for they will truly reflect how you run your life. Never be influenced by biased old-timers in media. Be humble yet objective in your reportage. Be polite to your interviewees.
If you have suggestions in terms of the education-related topics that you want me to feature, please feel free to send me an email to edteo.ramos@yahoo.com or to coachjet.inspirations@gmail.com and I will reply to you as soon as I receive your email. You may also message me on Facebook through any of my two working accounts: Jet Ramos (personal) and CoachJet Ramos (new and publicly official). You may also view my inspirational videos through my official YouTube account (my comeback will be in mid-September): Coach Jet’s Weekday Inspirations.
