Messages-Compilation

DR. ELMER C. BUENAVIDES

Response Message from the Faculty

Adlaw Sang Pagdayaw 2022

SKSU Isulan Campus

(Rough-Draft)

To our dynamic University President, Dr. Rolando F. Hechanova, Vice Presidents present, to our invited Guest Speaker who will be formally introduced later, to our very supportive Campus Director Dr. Mary Lynn G. Magbanua, College Deans, Program Chairmen, visitors, Dear Parents, to all of you Dear Graduating Students, ladies and gentlemen, goodmorning kag madinayawon nga aga sa aton tanan!

My task this morning is to give a response message before these beautiful and handsome graduating students.

Let me start with a short story entitled “The Test of a Wise Teacher”

Once upon a time on the outskirts of a big city in Japan there stood an old temple. From a young age boys who wanted to study Buddhism would come to live in the temple and to learn from the master teacher, a Buddhist monk.

One day the Buddhist monk who ran this small temple decided to teach his young students a lesson. He gathered them around him, and spoke," My dear students, as you can see, I am growing old, and slow. I can no longer provide for the needs of the temple as I once did. I know I have not yet taught you to work for money, and so I can only think of one thing that can keep our school from closing." The students drew close with eyes wide.

"Our nearby city is full of wealthy people with more money in their purses than they could ever need. I want you to go into the city and follow those rich people as they walk through the crowded streets, or when they walk down the deserted alleyways. When no one is looking, and only when no one is looking, you must steal their purses from them. That way we will have enough money to keep our school alive."

"But Master," the boys chorused in disbelief, "you have taught us that it is wrong to take anything that does not belong to us."

"Yes, indeed I have," the old monk replied. "It would be wrong to steal if it were not absolutely necessary. And remember, you must not be seen! If anyone can see you, you must not steal! Do you understand?"

The boys looked nervously from one to the other. Had their beloved teacher gone mad? His eyes shone with intensity such as they had never seen before. "Yes, Master," they said quietly.

"Good," he said. "Now go, and remember, you must not be seen!"

The boys got up and quietly began to file out of the temple building. The old monk rose slowly and watched them go.

When he turned back inside, he saw that one student was still standing quietly in the corner of the room. "Why did you not go with the others?" he asked the boy. "Do you not want to help save our temple?"

"I do, Master," said the boy quietly. "But you said that we had to steal without being seen. I know that there is no place on Earth that I would not be seen, for I would always see myself."

"Excellent!" exclaimed the teacher. "That is just the lesson that I hoped my students would learn, but you were the only one to see it. Run and tell your friends to return to the temple before they get us into trouble."

The boy ran and got his friends who were nervously gathered just out of sight of the temple, trying to decide what to do. When they returned, the Master told them the words the boy had spoken and they all understood the lesson.

(“No matter what we do, we always have a part of ourselves that is quietly watching, we should know the right from wrong. Take note, no place on Earth that we cannot be seen, for we can always see ourselves.)

We are gathered this morning for one of a kind celebration, ang Adlaw Sang Pagdayaw 2022! This is the Day that the deserving students will be given awards or recognition. Thanks God, we are given now the chance to celebrate after two years of pandemic.  You know, one of the highlights in the preparation, aside from the world class multi-talented decoration committee headed by Mr. Lemuel Bravante, program committee, hall and food committees and others, is the awards committee, why? This celebration will not be wonderful and meaningful without awards to give. Don’t you know that your instructors/professors concerned are actually very busy in the past few days in selecting the best students they know who are worthy to be given awards or recognition? In fact, they sat down several times what awards to give and to whom it will be given, in short, everyone of them is excited to give awards? You know, what made me laughed, if only if they are allowed they wanted to give all of you an awards. Because there is no even prouder about your achievements or your successes but your teachers/instructors/professors other than your parents. (Let us give them warm of applause)

The sacrifices/efforts of us your teachers, in preparing our lessons every day and night and how those lessons being delivered effectively to you to ensure that you have learned, to ensure that you have acquired skills, to ensure that we can produce holistic professionals someday is not that easy. We are being sent to trainings to upgrade ourselves, we are even pushed to go further studies just to master our craft so we can have enough to share with you to at least somehow you will become competitive when you graduate. Okay lng yan kahit napapagod na dahil yan talaga ang aming misyon.

Sa klase kung alam lng ninyo, inaaral din naming mga guro kung paano makibagay sa ibat-ibang ugali mayron kayo na mga estudyante, noong face to face pa talaga, makita mo talaga sino yong matalino, sino yong nagmamarunong, sino yong mahina pero walang absent, magaling pero wala naman lagi, sino yong maingay na makulit pa, sino yong pala nobyo at pala nobya, sino yong reserved type na tahimik lng, sino yong walang notebook punta ng school, etcetera.

Noong online classes, ma observe mo sino yong walang ligo na nagjoin lng sa gclass sabihan mo mag on ng camera katawan ipakita hindi mukha, absent kuno dahil walang internet, malakas daw and ulan, walang load pero ang post nasa mall, nasa beach kasama si girlfriend at boyfriend. Kahit sabihan mo mag damit ng maayos ang suot sleeveless ang background may nakabitay pa na underwears. MArami talaga makalimot din mag mute hindi na maka lecture si teacher dahil ang ingay ng aso may manok at kambing minsan. During exams dahil ang hirap I monitor ni teacher, tawag kay classmates pasa answer beh palitan ko lng ng name minsan nakalimutan pang i rename.

But we teachers are very flexible. Alam naming nahirapan din kayo. Kung nahirapan kayo nahirapan din kami. Si Maam and sir nagsikap din pindot sa laptop, connect sa gclass, tawag sa students isa-isa, kahit ano nlng ang gagawin just to make sure pandemic will not hamper the teaching-learning activities between you and us. We are flexible because we know you are disturbed, greatly affected by this pandemic. That is why, a salute to all of you! Sa dami ba namang pagsubok na pinagdaanan. Isigaw nga ninyo. Yes! I Survived!

We, your teachers, always tried our best to be your model in anyway. We are not here to stand as your teachers only to help you grow academically, but sometimes, we also stand as your second parents whom you can share your personal life, ask advices to enlighten your minds and hearts, and be able to solve problems with your families, sometimes you even shared your love life.  Guidance counselor lng din kami minsan!

I know we are not perfect! Some students rants badly in social media, degrading the name of the university, because there are teachers who are always late, did not conduct classes etc., but I said we are not perfect, we are not perfect in the university, sorry for that! But we are trying all the time to be the best just for you to be the best. Take note of that! Remember, your attitude in social media is a reflection of your personality. Whatever posts you have may be considered to point against you in the future. Problems like that can always be addressed in the right office not in social media. Intelligent students should know how to deal everything in a nice way, in a professional way. That is what we expect from you dear students. More than anything else we your teachers will be happy if you have 100% Best attitudes! We are happy if we have graduates who are intelligent, bright or smart, but we will be the happiest if we can hear the line that says, the best na siya kay graduate na siya sa SKSU! MATALINO na, MABAIT pa! Wala kaming ibang hangad na inyong mga guro, kundi kayo ay magiging matalino at mabait na tao at balang araw ay magiging matagumpay sa buhay. Because for us teachers, a very satisfying professional life is to see you our dear students very successful in the future in your respective fields compared to us. Be positive always in life. Just focus on the good!

If we are going to go back in our short story, the moral lesson there is (“No matter what we do, we always have a part of ourselves that is quietly watching, and we should know the right from wrong. Take note, no place on Earth that we cannot be seen, for we can always see ourselves.) Kung hindi man tayo nakikita ng iba kung ano man ang ating ginagawa, alalahanin natin nakikita tayo ng ating mga sarili dapat alamin natin kung ano ang tama at ang mali sa lahat ng bagay.

Before I end, I just want to say, thank you so much everyone, to our administrators, to our dear parents and of course to your dear students. To our administrators, who are instrumental why we became part of this university. Thank you for hiring us, because you believe in us that we can greatly contribute in achieving the VMGO of our beloved University. To our dear parents, thank you for entrusting to us your sons/daughters in achieving their dreams. To you dear students, thank you for you are the reasons why the University exists and for our existence as your mentors.

From your beloved mentors, this campus, Congratulations Dear Graduating Students Batch 2022. You are all amazing!  God speed.