walking be thy worth walking be thy worth

After two years, youth can now walk, ride, and enjoy the morning sunrise, feel the scorching sun, run against time, and frolic with friends. The school educates us, but how about going in and out of it? Do we still learn about life? Can we still grow and mature? Or does learning stops as we go out of the four-cornered rooms?

School teaches us history, formulas, scientific reasoning, arts, computer systems, values, and language yet, apart from these, as we leave the campus, learning goes on. This may not be included in our curriculum however as we walk and ride home, every step of the way enlightens us with brighter ideas not only encircling on what is written in books but also what we can write for ourselves.

We surveyed 166 students of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. In different grade levels, it is reckoned that 91.6% of them are riding home and towards school, while the remaining 8.4% walk. The majority are accompanied by their parents 45%, 23.5% are by themselves only, 17.5% are with their classmates, 7.2% are their siblings and the remaining are for close relatives, trusted people and others available. Some also, say that their mode of transportation affect them and causes delays. Others say it never did. This result defines as well what they are comfortable with and felt safe for, the reason why it is tiring to even try, and this has never become unanimous, sometimes it makes us think, why can’t we just have wings to fly directly?

The result consists of various numbers hard to read and think about; however, one thing is for sure, we may walk down from different paths, cross the roads, walk around those rocky ground, riding and bumping our heads, turning in different directions, we still arrive in one place, our school where we ought to learn.

Students view this daily routine differently, it takes hard work, time, and peace of mind. It keeps us wondering: Is it worth doing? What feeling motivates them to do this every morning and on time? Interviewing pupils and their perspective, they can’t deny being bombarded with activities but they still find it exciting to reach and leave school.

SLSPI Grade 10 students on their last year in Junior High School

I am Lloyd, your Grade 10 student, who is venturing into an adventurous and prosperous year as we learn with SLSPI.

Today marks a remarkable year, as this is now my last year of being a junior high school student. Since this is my final year in the junior high school department, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. I have reached the end of the line of this high school journey, and the doors are now open as I and my fellow 10th grade students venture into the Senior High School world. But, before I share my thoughts and insights, let us know what our fellow 10th grade students have to say.

I interviewed my classmate, Zipporah Michal Talo who is also now in her last year in junior high school and this is her statement. “I feel sad now that I am in the last year of being a junior high school student. At first, I was happy that I’m almost done with my high school life but then I realized more upcoming stress will hit me once I am a senior high school student. Being a grade 10 is not easy. Pressure, stress, and expectations are looked upon you. Pressure because this is my last year at junior high school and I will slack off? If I ever transfer to another school and they can see that I didn’t do well, are they willing to accept me? Or am I even qualified? I think not. Stress, the lessons are not that hard (compared to other grade year levels) but a lot of lessons are preached and tasks you need to complete. You feel relieved finishing a task rather than accomplishing it. It’s more like “Ah yes I’m done!” not “YES, I did that!”. And lastly, Expectations, of course with us being said that we are in 10th grade we need to do well, A lot of people are expecting. Teachers, Parents? Even students because they’re the one who is looking up to us. They expect us to shine because this is our last year, the highest grade level you can attain in junior high school. Also, I am attached to my classmates, so it’s hard for me to leave junior high school. I’m sure a lot of us will be separated because a lot of us will choose different strands. Although I am slightly disheartened by that fact, I am looking forward to my senior high school life because I am genuinely interested in the strand I’m taking. I want to deepen my knowledge with the course I’m preparing for. It’s not that I expect that the lesson I wanted to learn is the only thing that is going to be taught but I have an idea of how to deal with the course I’m preparing for. They said it’s hard but I think this is better because there’s a lot of time I can prepare for the “real” battle”. -statement of Zipporah Michal Talo, a grade 10 student from 10-St. John

Finally, this is our last year as junior high school students. I will miss all of the happy memories we’ve made. I feel like I’m in a dream because it feels like I was in 7th grade yesterday and I’m now in 10th grade. I, for one, felt excitement and sadness at the same time. The friendship and the happy memories we’ve made as a class were so overwhelming and heartfelt. Even though we must accept that we will grow up, we will treasure the memories we make of each other as we journey through life, achieving our dreams and becoming the people we have always wanted to be.

There were a lot of obstacles we faced during the previous years in junior high school, and they must come to an end. Some people might find it easy, but we have different capacities when it comes to difficulty. Others might find it arduous or hard, and others might find it facile or simple. Everything depends on the situation you’re in. I’m looking forward to the events that will take place during my senior year of high school. I hope they will be enjoyable and that we will learn a lot from our diverse strands. It’s very nerve-wracking to think that we are no longer juniors but seniors. College life is also just around the corner since time really flies so fast. Me and my fellow students in grade 10 are now ready to face what lies ahead as we venture into senior high school.

Isha Seronio said and I quote, “sometimes taking a tiny stroll with your friends is all you need.” It levels their stresses and gives them time to think less about activities and more about life in the outside world, they are able to grow with friends and smile with them as they go further.

Now a question struck me, how was every step of the way, and every orbit of the wheels taught us, students? When we only have to move our feet back and forth, watch the sky turn grey and dark, cover our heads in daylight raindrops, sit as different mechanisms works, listen to loud noises on streets, and wait to reach school and home, does it all make any changes? Gyien Matthew Mahinay answered, “ As I walk and ride home it gives me various emotions, walking gives me a moment and see the world as in different stages, and different situations are witnessed while riding home relaxes, I get to observe briskly.” He added, “That’s why I prefer walking than riding, I may do this by myself, however, I get to learn. Just like in life, if things are done slowly, we get to ponder on them and realize somehow their beauty and deeper meanings.” People get to have their interpretation, this shows that doing such activities improves them in some way, it can be in their understanding, emotions or deeper than what we can possibly think of..

Pandemic weakened not only our stamina but apart from this is our motivation to go out of our houses. We locked ourselves in close doors, got stagnant in what social media offer to entertain us, and miss the old times where outside seems exciting than under the shade of our roof, where talking is better than messaging, where life seems happier when we are closer than being farther from each other.

Jireh Faith E. Fernandez

to my home felt like I had reached the peak of my youth.”

Students shared as well their experiences: the dangerous fitting of 10 people in one tricycle, the inaudible stories of drivers, the terrible steps towards wet animal excrements, them unlocking their capability and strength to cross roads, their fortunate mindless passing, forgetting and returning back to their homes for IDs, being unable to pay with not enough money, and their smelly and muddy shoes due to profuse raining. Experiences they can look back, laugh at, and talk about. Memories they can hyperbolically share and be proud of.

Before they reach and after they leave the campus, there are things students went through, some dry their tears as they walk to home, acknowledge mistakes, talk about pain, and hide this as they set foot on their doorstep. Youth are secretive, one’s journey is not only fun but also their way to weigh themselves down,

This is the reason why school is not just the only place for learning but also towards and away from it. The journey of one student does help them become better individual, not just as a student but as a person born to be. Besides, school teaches us equations where we can only find one value if we correctly substitute their corresponding quantity and perform using the correct formula, Science teaches us that if the frequency increases, the wavelength gets shorter. In subject-verb agreement, a singular noun requires a singular verb, while plural nouns need a plural verb. But through our adventures, A person can either walk by himself and learn by himself, or can ride with others, and discover with them.