It didn’t look like it was going to be a good day when I woke up this morning. The very first thing I remembered was the problem I went to bed with last night. I was in the midst of finishing my students’ grades when I noticed I had committed a serious error: I failed to report a student’s name in time for the deadline to submit “failed and dropped” students. I was worried that I would be estopped to drop the student since it was way past the deadline. I couldn’t understand how I could have forgotten something so important so I went to sleep (and woke up) angry with myself.
I had looked forward to enjoying the last few days of the semestral break (meaning, I wanted to stay home) but because of the problem, I had to go to school to, among others, admit that I was negligent. That wasn’t something nice to look forward to so I felt exasperated. The cold, rainy day also contributed to my gloom.
As I was sipping (actually, gulping down) my coffee, I heard my cellphone’s message alert tone. I was surprised to read a message from one of my former students – he was under me in financial accounting in 2004 and when I resigned from that school in 2005, I saw him just once again after he graduated in 2006 when I offered to give some students a free lecture on some topics I had expected they would encounter in the board examinations.
His message today was short and simple. He was telling me that he had just been reassigned to our city after working in Makati City since he passed the CPA board exams in 2006. I was sincerely happy to hear from him. When he was reviewing for the board exams, I didn’t expect to get a message from him asking for advice about his review and when he passed, again he surprised me with a very touching thank-you message.
I was rushing to school – I knew I was going to have a long day resolving my problem – but I stopped to send him a reply saying I’m very happy he continues to keep in touch and that things have turned out well for him. I did not expect him to text back but when he did, I was floored. He said: “Sus! Attorney, indi ko ni ma achieve kon wala mo ko gin encourage [I would not be able to achieve this if you did not encourage me] (when I was in the) 2nd year. I’ll always remember your note to me [n.b.: he was probably referring to the short notes I write on my students’ test papers] — ‘you have lots of potentials’. Thanks!”
I remember this boy when he was my student. I knew he had the “it” that accountancy students needed not only to survive the rigors and demands of the course but also to pass the board exams. But, frankly, I could not remember writing that particular note to him. Not that I didn’t sincerely mean it at the time I wrote it but I must have written hundreds and hundreds of notes to my students – how am I expected to remember all of them? This morning, when I read his message, I realized what a minute or two of my time could do to change a person’s life.
I didn’t tell him … but the minute or two he spent to send me his messages also changed the rest of my day.
I have resolved that, in the future, when things get rough and I feel like throwing the towel in, I will take just a minute or two to remember my student’s message (and, for that matter, all the other messages/letters/notes I got from my students). I’m sure it’s all I need to recharge me and put me back on the right track. Just a minute or two can indeed make a big change.
blogging bugs 
