MOST students give their teachers flowers, chocolates, cakes or balloons on Teacher’s Day.
A public school teacher in General Santos City, who goes by the name Talon Claude on Facebook, was surprised when her Grade 3 student gave her a native chicken as a present.
She posted a photo of her and her student Legaspi Guid Jr., as well as the chicken, on Facebook early Saturday, October 5, 2019.
As of 8 p.m. of October 7, 2019, the post has been shared more than 2,800 times, received more than 3,700 likes and reactions, and elicited 105 comments.
She posted, “Wala yang flowers, chocolates, cakes and balloons niyo sa native manok ko! Hahaha..???? Thank you Legaspi. Pinaka happy teacher si Maam. It doesn’t matter how expensive or how cheap it is. It’s always the thought that counts.”
Claude, a teacher at Banwalan Primary School, shared with SunStar Davao on Monday that a day before the celebration, she asked her students to bring anything they could give to the teachers.
“Three lang po kasi kami sa school so sabi ko bigyan natin lahat ng teachers kasi tatlo lang naman kami. Pili lang kayo sa amin. Nag-raise lang po sya ng question if pwede ba daw manok ibigay. I said yes pwede yan as long as bigay niyo from the heart at saka dapat ipagpaalam muna sa parents. Sabi ko kahit ano pa yang dalhin niyo okay lang. Wala silang na mention na name kung sino bibigyan,” Claude said in an online interview.
(There are only three of us, teachers, so I told the students to bring something and give to any of us. One of the students asked if he can bring a chicken. I said yes as long as it is from the heart and his parents are aware. I told them they can give whatever they want.)
She did not expect to receive the chicken. She was under the impression that her students are afraid of her because she does not allow them to go home until they have learned to read.
She thought the boy would give the chicken to the head of the school. She also thought that the boy must have been joking when he asked about bringing a chicken.
On Friday morning, October 4, a co-teacher called her while she was preparing to go to school to inform her that her pupil had brought a chicken for her.
“Na-shocked po ako. Haha sabi ko nga kala ko joke lang, yon pala totoo pala po. Sabi ng co-teacher ko ulamin nalang po daw namin, sabi ko ‘wag lang muna ma’am. E-document ko muna yan kasi first time ko pong makakatanggap ng manok,” she said.
(I was shocked. I thought it was just a joke. One of the teachers suggested that we cook and eat it. But I wanted to document it first because it was my first time to receive a chicken).
“It means a lot to me,” she added.