10/09/2025
Brader, To all the teachers out there, kindly read and reflect.
โ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ก๐ฎ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ช๐ซ๐ต๐ฎโ
My brother was so excited for their upcoming Buwan ng Wika. First request: a barong. We didnโt have one, but as an ate, I knew I had to make a way. After asking around, I was blessed to borrow oneโnot brand new, not fancy, but enough to make him feel proud and involved.
Next request: food for their Pista sa Nayon. Since it was a Pinoy feast, I decided to cook pancit. I woke up early, prepared it with love, wrapped it carefully, and sent him off to school. He was smiling, so ready to share it with his classmates.
After the event, I asked how it went. He was quiet. Later that night, he finally said in a sad voice:
โ๐ฐ๐๐, ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐. ( It wasnโt even opened.)
The adviser never placed the pancit on the table. Instead, they gave it away to the guard. My brother didnโt even get to taste itโnot a single bite. While others ate and enjoyed the feast, the food I lovingly prepared was left untouched, judged without being given a chance.
And then, with tears welling in his eyes, he told me:
โ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐, ๐ฐ๐๐. ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.โ(Itโs okay, Ate. I wonโt join programs like that anymore.)
๐ That line broke me.
It wasnโt just about the pancitโit was about effort, excitement, and a childโs wish to belong. Instead, he went home carrying disappointment. A memory no child should have to keep.
I donโt need to address this to the adviser anymore. Maybe there was a reason behind the decisionโperhaps there were too many dishes already, or maybe the school had its own arrangement for the food. I will choose to respect that.
But what I cannot accept is the way it made my brother feelโthat what he brought wasnโt โgood enough,โ that his effort and excitement didnโt matter.
Sometimes itโs not the big things, but the little ones that leave the deepest wounds. A single decision from an adult can make a child feel seenโor invisible. It costs nothing to honor effort. But to ignore it? Thatโs a scar that lingers.
To every teacher, adviser, or adult guiding childrenโplease remember: the food, the costume, the project may be simple, but behind it is a childโs pride and a familyโs love. And those things always deserve a place at the table.
