I hope you knew..

I hope you knew how hard we, your teachers, try to be understanding to you - to all of you. We are in an extraordinary situation now because of circumstances that aren't exactly within our grasp. As your teachers, it is our duty to make sure that you will keep on learning despite the hurdles that hinder you from working your butts off to reach your dreams. We ought to be the ones threading the needle between being compassionate to you who are fighting battles unbeknownst to us while also keeping you challenged enough to maintain your interest and motivation to equip yourselves to become productive citizens of our society.

I hope you knew that we are also struggling. We, too, are facing adversities that we choose to keep from you just so we can always be in our best shape when we face you in front of our screens. Working from home can be especially draining to us who have chosen to devote our lives to keeping our classes lively and interesting to make sure that you can appreciate the value of the lessons we are trying to pass on to you. It sure feels lonely to be talking to our computer screens without seeing any signs of life from anyone, or asking questions that are met with nothing but deafening silence, broken only by the ambient noises from our own backyards. If you - students, are struggling, trust me, we are too.

I hope you knew that seeing you guys in distress for whatever reason (school, family, finances, etc.) is also difficult for us. If only we could help you solve your problems, we would. But.. we are just humans, too. Sometimes, the best we can offer you is our listening ears. Please know that we carry your burdens in our hearts as well. We think of you day and night and we can only hope that you can still hold up; that you can still make it until such time that we can spend more time together when this health crisis is all over. To you, my students, I remember you in my prayers, and if there ever comes a time that you feel the need to share your victories or unload your burdens, know that I am simply a message away.

I hope you knew how happy you make us feel when you show genuine interest and appreciation in the lessons that we prepared for you; how even just turning your cameras on so we can see you and bring our teaching experience close to "normal" can relieve us of our stress and anxiety from all the struggles that weigh us down. I don't know if you're aware but seeing your teeth when your faces contort into smiles and laughter when I deliver my jokes would certainly be one of my most favorite moments in every day of our difficult (sometimes miserable) situation as online teachers. You don't know how much joy it brings us to be appreciated for all the things we do for you.

I hope you knew that we really want you to become the best versions of yourselves that you can be. Maybe you will find some of us are nice, but some are tough. Whatever our ways are, I want you to know that your teachers are giving their all in teaching you not only lessons that would equip you to be accountants, engineers, teachers, and professionals, but also those that would make you a better person - someone more confident, more critical, more compassionate, and more generous. At the end of the day, we don't want you to just become book smart professionals who will soon take over crucial roles in your future companies. We want you to be smart, wise, compassionate, and service-oriented. Our hope is that one day, you will also offer your lives in the service of the people, as many of us have chosen to do so.