FOOTPRINTS
By Emann Feb N. Barrutag
You can’t retire from being awesome”
Life is filled with a lot of mysteries that made you wise. It is filled with obstacles that made you strong.
And it is filled with surprises that keep you motivated.
In a lifetime one’s past leave behind footprints that inspire the present to appreciate the future. Decades ago, a child was born.
Her life has been a roller coaster ride. With twists and turns tears have been shed and laughter shared.
Her educational journey has not been as smooth as sailing a calm sea.
Raging waves of great magnitude tried to trample her dream and crush her aspiration and almost drained her hope yet her perseverance and resolve is far greater than these perils.
Upon reaching the shoreline of her dreams, rejection looks at her in the eye and she responded with cheer, optimism and the will to carry on.
Such determination and perseverance led her to an exciting journey.
She has witnessed as history unfolds before her very eyes and as legacies were built by visionary leaders despite the public’s harsh and callous remarks.
In her school’s humble beginnings, they started molding the minds of the first few learners under an acacia tree with less certainty for a good salary.
But the heart of a teacher can neither be measured by the contents of her pocket nor by her possession.
Life may give teachers an array of reasons to quit but teachers don’t quit easily for their love and passion outweighs all sorts of discouraging and daunting circumstances.
As history is made, the school consistently and persistently has crawled its way to what it is today.
From four dedicated faculty to a multitude of professionals from all walks of life who joined the cause of nurturing the next generation.
Then, it went beyond what a simple dream can actually perceive for few and modest classrooms transformed into huge number of well-structured ones that sprung like mushrooms.
The school may have been labeled as ghost school and the like in its infancy years but now it has a name of its own.
Such a name chases glory for breakfast, success for lunch and greatness for dinner.
As leaders continue to strive and cultivate that long planted seed of hope that flourishes into a beautiful garden where students can also plant and materialize their dreams.
As pages of history turn and unravel new chapters, old comrades wither and fade away in the dust of time.
There is but one teacher who still lingers around like a beacon of hope that lights the way and bridges the past.
She has been there from the beginning and is about to retire as she embraces her twilight years with joy and satisfaction.
Her perseverance, passion, and unwavering heart as a teacher remind us that teaching is done by the heart.
She may have taken various exciting and sometimes disheartening roles in her life.
There is but one role that shines above the rest and that is her being a “Nanay” to Guihulngan National School-Poblacion.
A “Nanay” a native Cebuano term that stands for being a mother to all, her students and colleagues combined.
Her journey has taught us one thing and that is life is what we make of it.
She is the ever-dynamic NIDA G. LLEGADO or better known as “Nanay Llegado” or just “Nanay”.So, if life wants you to quit, continue. If life wants to cry, smile.
If life wants you down, strive and persevere. And if life rejects you, insist and be optimistic. Life is indeed an enjoyable journey.
It may not be easy but it is indeed worthwhile.
The footprint of one may serve as an inspiration to the rest of the world.