Stories of perseverance stoke young dreams

GRADE 3 students of Buraguis Elementary School in Legazpi City receive boxes of school supplies from the “Box of Dreams” project of Junior Chamber International-Legazpi chapter. MARK ALVIC ESPLANA

There are no boundaries for those who are passionate enough to reach for their dreams, the children of a public elementary school in Legazpi City learned from storytellers in yet another of Inquirer’s Read-Along on Aug. 1.

Some 100 Grade 3 pupils from Buraguis Elementary School, mostly children of poor working families in the city, were told by Read-Along guests, along with partners Junior Chamber International (JCI) Legazpi chapter and the Philippine National Police, that they could still realize their goals in life in spite of financial hardships and learning disabilities.

Using costumes and effective techniques, interactive storytellers Jeremy A. Cruz and Aveline Averilla-Jung delivered the message that perseverance and determination are the main ingredients of success in school and in life.

Cruz, principal of Banquerohan National High School in Legazpi, read Christine Bellen’s “Filemon Mamon,” the story of a fat young boy determined to live healthy and lose weight so he could play the role of Andres Bonifacio in a school play.

Jung, directress and owner of Piamont Science-Oriented School for Kids in Daraga, Albay, read Genaro R. Gojo Cruz’s “Anluwagi,” the story of a carpenter’s son who dreams of becoming an engineer while taking his own father’s perseverance and resilience as his inspiration.

Both have read stories to other groups of children in other Inquirer Read-Along activities.

‘Box of Dreams’

Most of the pupils experienced their first Inquirer Read-Along about two years ago, when they were in their first grade.

Then and now, the Inquirer Read-Along in Buraguis Elementary School was done in partnership with JCI, under the group’s “Box of Dreams” project: Individualized boxes, where the lids are pasted with the separate drawings of the children of what they hoped to be when they grow up, containing school supplies to encourage them to stay in school.

Ada Lupo, class adviser of half of the participants, said most of her students had to repeat a grade level at least twice due to reasons ranging from domestic problems to lack of finances and inability to learn how to read.

Eleven of them are considered nonreaders, while some are still undergoing extra remedial lessons in reading, she said.

Events like the Inquirer’s Read-Along are tools that they hoped could further encourage students to push on with improving their basic skills in language which have held them back in school for years.

Rooted in poverty

The problem is largely rooted in poverty, Lupo said. These students from poor families were often absent from class or would stop going to school altogether just to return the following year, missing many opportunities to learn to read.

Students like Johnny Eusebio, 16, son of an informal worker who is experiencing domestic problems in his home, remained stuck at Grade 3 because of reasons like these, the class adviser said.

Lupo said Eusebio began reading two years ago after spending more than five years in Grade 3 due to extended absences. Constant bullying by some classmates who tease him for his overstaying on his grade level also causes him to absent himself from class.

Another student, 23-year-old Patricio Astra Jr., was also stuck in her class due to his inability to learn how to read until he was recommended and accepted in a Special Education Class in Rawis District, Legazpi, last year.

Despite repeatedly failing their subjects, both Eusebio and Astra showed interest and determination to finish school to attain their own dreams in life. Eusebio wants to become a doctor while Astra wishes only to finally be able to read.

Police officer’s dreams

Despite their dire circumstances, more than half of the students wish to become policemen and policewomen, Lupo said.

Supt. Jesus Centino Martirez, acting chief of the community relations division of the PNP in Bicol, said hardships like these should not be seen as a hindrance by those hoping for a better life.

Himself a product of a poor family with nine children, Martirez said scholarships are available from both the government and nongovernment agencies for students with financial problems to continue their education.

Martirez talked to the children after the Inquirer Read-Along to encourage them to pursue dreams of becoming part of the police force someday. “I consider it a good news that they idolize policemen despite knowing the high risk that they would encounter in the future as policemen themselves,” he said.

He said it was a good sign that this generation of Grade 3 students understands the concept of justice and that a policeman’s job is to prevent and eradicate crime.

For students with limited learning capabilities, Martirez said their goal of being of service to the Filipino as part of PNP is not entirely lost because they can still serve as skilled nonuniformed personnel under the organization.

“No person is actually weak or incapable. We can all rise from hardships with perseverance. It helps to have a future in mind for yourself,” he said.