INSPIRED by homilies as the days befallen, Tony came to realize he has forgotten the honor roll melee, and for his last year in high school, has shifted his interest in bible verses. Assignment and school works were given lesser priorities.
He thought it would be useless doing his best in school when in the end, honor rolls are manipulated. While reading the bible, he tried to reconcile what he perceived or learned with that of Science and Mathematics. Exact measurements and physical evidences define realities, Tony concluded.
Much of the knowledge that he now possessed were acquired from reading habits, in his free time or intentionally, while some were taken in sports and music.
Mike, his teacher, noticed Tony’s disinterest in the school’s academic programs. Shooting the breeze, Mike asks why Tony was not the same student as he used to be – active in curricular activities, faithful in every assigned task and religiously follow what his teacher instructs.
Tony contemplated whether to tell his teacher about his beliefs in the said matter; this will only instigate prolonged conversations and end in some monotonous unsolicited advice. He remembered this maxim: telling lies are not as bad as it was, when it does not result into harm or injury. So he just said to Teacher Mike: Sir, it is not that I am indifferent in Academics, but I really find it difficult to cope up with the subjects of the senior years.
Anyway, I will try my best to deal with the lessons and assigned task, plus I will seek the help of my classmates in case I will meet any difficulties.
In his age and experience, Teacher Mike knows that Tony was lying, but he cannot persuade the boy to bring out what he feels inside. Tony’s heart, he supposed, has turned into a rock. Making up for his shortcomings in the past and as graduation approaches, Teacher Mike railroaded the honor committee to include Tony in the top graduating students, at least, being number five will do.
Although Tony might not appreciate or know what he did, being in the top five might help him in college. Thus, when graduation came, he persuaded the boy to follow the road less taken, the path to teaching. Nonetheless, Tony will later realize that, teaching is the road to poverty.
Indeed, after ten irregular years in college, Tony took and passed the licensure examination for teachers. He knows that applying in the public service is like entering the hole of a needle, so he tried his luck working in several private schools first, before entering the public sector. Then the day came when he figured out that he earned sufficient relevant experiences, several awards and trainings, so, he decided to apply at “The Republic of city high school”.
Very eager to follow up his application, he went to the division office to see his rank among the applicants. Alas, he cannot find his name and what he got from the attending clerk is a notice that his application was not considered due to insufficient relevant experience. So he asked why?
The clerk explained that Tony’s experience was more of an administrative officer in the private sector and less in the task of teaching. So he needs to earn more teaching experience. Dismayed, Tony went out and along the way he met Sam, his former classmate. Both went for a chat in a nearby coffee shop.
Sam started the conversation: You know Tony, job applications here are controlled by the “ALaZuMa” mafia. What do you mean, Tony asked? What I mean was that, the teaching circles in the city know how Art, Lala, Zura, Mare or Rema were lording the employment over and over. The last two names contain the woman named “Lyn.”
To be continued...