The Muslim Students in Our School

            In my more than 30 years of teaching at Maa National School in Davao City ,  I have high regards for the Muslim students. They are  the most  peace-loving group of students.. They  seldom  get into trouble. We are also proud that the first "Byaneng ng Kadayawan"  came from our school. 

          I am thankful to the  Muslim leaders in helping maintain peace in the community especially in school.  One of my students, Djamil Dariday, a Muslim,  always greet me when I am online. He graduated from high school in 1993. And up to this day, he is one person who showed gratefulness, respect,  camaraderie , and help discipline his Muslim brothers  in the community.  He has a very good sense of humor. He always make us laugh. 

The Students of Magtuod and Langub

        In the early years of my teaching at Maa National High School,  students from  Magtuod and Langub were the most punctual. Although  there is  a barangay road,  the pavement was rocky  and only  one public  vehicle was available which usually ply to carry market products  . These students woke up as early  as 2:30 in the morning to prepare themselves for school.   At four o'clock, they began their seven kilometers walk to school. 

        Many of them  brought  dry coconut leaves which are tied  together to form a torch to light their way. They walked in groups.  When it rained, many  of them used large  " gabi leaves" as umbrellas. They were the first to arrive in school  as early as 6:30 A.M. . School classes began at 7:30 after the flag ceremony.         

        These students performed well in school  with many of them garnering top honors during graduations. Two of them graduated back to back as  valedictorians. During recognition , many of them  were awarded best in attendance , as most punctual, and many other awards.We  encouraged those who lived  nearby , just across the street, to  come to school early since they would arrived late .

          When the land developers constructed  residential houses in the area, roads were concreted and more vehicles are seen plying the route. The students can already access  transportation in going to school. As population increased, the Dep-Ed approved the request to open annex high school  in Magtuod where the  students from Langub are also  enrolled. 

Why We Should Eat Breakfast

         Breakfast is one meal in a day that we must not skip.  A person who skips breakfast has long fasting period from his last evening meal until his next meal.  Mr. Breakfast said , " Children who eat breakfast perform better on standardized achievement tests and have fewer behavior problems in school."
      As teachers, one of the reasons the students gave us when they collapsed in school was because they had not eaten their breakfast. We also noted low performances in school.     We must take into consideration that , as parents, children's food must be well-balanced following the food pyramid. Eating a healthy breakfast does not only nourish our body but also  help maintain our energy for the day 's work.  It also helps students perform  well.