Air head

New York - I met up with April at Union Square Park in downtown Manhattan. As we walked past Barnes and Noble she asked, "Do you miss living in New York after your graduation?"

I can vaguely remember how my college graduation went. It was one of those supposedly memorable events in a graduation that I chose to bury along with the falling autumn leaves.

I was barely five years old when I took it upon myself to decide which school I would be spending the rest of my formative years in. That day, I overheard my parents discussing the possibility of enrolling me to a coed Chinese school in downtown Cebu, so I hid behind the dining room curtains and refused to come out unless they specifically send me to Sacred Heart School for Girls (SHS-G).

My theory and scientific explanation of the origins of charcoal got me in kindergarten after I went through a series of exams. Little did I know I would be spending the next twelve and a half years wearing that green and white uniform. The only memorable graduation I ever attended was in kindergarten where I got straight As in my report card and my parents grinned like clowns as I marched up the stage to receive a rolled piece of parchment with my front teeth missing.

Mom and dad never pressured me to be in the honor roll (well, SHS-G didn't have such thing as honor roll then). They believe that experience is better than education and sending me to school assured them that the house would still be intact when they get home as I wouldn't be cooped up there with my silly experiments. I was always absent just because it was raining and sleep is better than going to class. They weren't involved in PTAs and sending the secretary to get my report cards was always a perk for me as she would edit what my teachers said about my performance and made me look like a geek.

SHS-G's Individual Study system allows a student to work according to her pace and capability to learn. As I see it today, it is patterned after the practicalities of life and acknowledging that each person is unique and independent in her own way. A student starts out with planning her required subjects to take and gets to discuss it with her adviser before proceeding to achieve her goals. She can stay as long as months in a specific subject she's working on before she decides she's had enough of the lessons learned and does a conference with the subject teacher before she takes the exam to move on to another level of study.

What I appreciate in SHS-G were the constant examinations we take in order to master ourselves. We are allowed retakes in exams because life always gives us second chances. We do not have to carry tons to books to school everyday because we can just borrow them from the station we were working in. At least it's economical for parents and our books get to be recycled for other students to use.

If a student advances well in her studies, she doesn't graduate ahead of the class but opts out to do community service to her classmates by volunteering to tutor. We weren't pressured to achieve something just because others are doing it. We are independent from the other yet we can choose to work together in certain areas of our lives. The beauty of life's natural progression is to share what you've achieved with others. The act of sharing gives meaning to our purpose in life.

I was one of those candidates for October graduation (Octuberian) because I enjoyed school so much. As my alma mater turned 50 this year, sadly, they no longer use this system. Not everyone appreciates the school's system as some parents think it's a waste of time and money if their kids do not graduate on time. Upon completion of my school clearances, I chanced a recommendation letter from my high school principal stating that I was a mediocre student who needed constant follow up.

I was a no-show for my elementary and high school graduation. I've always admired valedictorians and wondered how it feels to graduate at the top of the class. My turn came on my college graduation day, I was about to surprise my parents that I was once again in the honor roll but this time they didn't show up. I was bummed because they weren't there to share that moment with me.

"Diba taga UP ka?" It puzzles me why people seem think I graduated from the University of the Philippines. Well, if anyone chances upon Sr. Georgette in Rome, remind her about the girl who ran around the halls of SHS-G with an electric fan cover on top of her head. What an air head!

Free your mind. Learn by heart.

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