This entry is a bit different from my usual Sunday posts. There will be no foodie or shopaholic finds this week. I felt inspired to write a recent heartwarming experience from my teaching career. Priceless moments like this does not happen everyday so I might as well document and cherish this rare story. 

During the middle of the week, some of my colleagues in teaching informed me of my students' failure to report to their respective research adviser and defense panelists. It appeared to me that my dear college kids are stricken by their hardest habit to break, laziness. I felt disappointed, annoyed and partly liable.  

When the class started, I called them individually to verify the progress of their paper. While each kid has his own reason for non-compliance, one student stood out and captured my attention.

Student A told me how proud she is of her paper.  The exact words Student A rendered was, nagagandahan kaya ako sa gawa ko. Nakakaproud kaya. (I felt more than contented with my work. I feel proud of my paper.)  She may sound boastful and conceited, but the teacher in me saw a different picture. She gave me that rare happiness and fulfillment.

Whenever I teach Business Plan Writing, I hear all the complaints and grievances from my students. The subject's bulk of workload made them hate the subject and their teacher. Little do they know, I feel equally tired and frustrated whenever they cannot deliver the required outputs.

Of the few years I taught the subject, most of my students already feel contented beating the deadline and receiving a passing mark. I seldom encounter students who feel seriously proud of their work. When my student expressed appreciation over her own work, it felt as if I was the one appreciated. If only I can claim all her appreciation, I will wholeheartedly embrace everything.  I never imagined how those simple words can alleviate all the exhaustion I endured from painstakingly editing their papers. Twenty-nine papers to edit every week?!? I survived with a silent and hidden medal in my heart.