Badjao pupil’s gift to his teacher touches netizens’ hearts

MANILA, Philippines – A very special gift indeed!

The emotion of netizens were stirred by the viral Facebook post of teacher namely Dennis F. Gerodias, a 29-year-old from Brgy. Dolho, Bato, Leyte, after receiving a simple gift of appreciation from his Grade 1 Badjao learner in celebration of World Teachers' Day on Thursday, October 5.

In the viral Facebook post by Teacher Dennis, he shared that his Badjao learner named John Bryan approached him early in the morning before their class began. John Bryan handed him a bouquet of flowers as a gift for the teachers' day celebration. He explained that it was his gift because he didn't have any money.

Photo courtesy: Facebook/Dennis Flores Gerodias

Teacher Dennis was deeply touched by John Bryan's gift, but he was even more moved when he learned the reason behind John Bryan's bare feet.

He recounted, "This morning, one of my students, a Badjao, approached me and said, 'Sir, I don't have a gift for you today because we don't have money, but I picked flowers to give to you, sir.' I noticed that he didn't have slippers or shoes, so I asked him, 'Why don't you have slippers?' He replied, 'I was in a hurry, sir, so I wouldn't be late for class to give this to you.' (Almost every day, I always noticed this child going to school barefoot.)"

"At that moment, I didn't know, but my tears fell knowing the child's initiative just to give me flowers. This might be the most beautiful way to start my day. The type of gift doesn't matter; what's more important is the effort the child made to express his love for his teacher."

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Teacher Dennis went on to express his appreciation for his Grade 1 learners, saying, "I didn't expect to receive anything from the kids, but the Grade 1 learners really prepared something for me. However, this one (my Badjao learner) is really worth sharing. 💙."

"They are the reason why I prefer to teach. They are the reason why I would willingly sacrifice time, energy, and money just to provide them with the knowledge they deserve. Despite the hardships and struggles of my chosen path, I still love my students dearly and my teaching profession. Happy Teachers' Day to all."

The teacher also made a promise, saying, "PS: If I have money soon, I will buy them slippers or shoes that they can use for school. Saon wala paman jd tawn huhu, basin muabot ra. Grasyahe intawn ko Lord hehehe."

In an interview with Balita, Teacher Dennis, who teaches Grade 1 at Dolho Elementary School, mentioned that John Bryan is indeed one of his dedicated students.

He had a message for his fellow teachers on World Teacher's Day: "Educators, let us keep our passion burning despite the hardships and struggles.”

“May we inspire the children to continue learning."

In a separate Facebook post, Teacher Dennis promised that he would feature in his vlog the process of buying supplies for his trending Badjao pupil. After his post went viral, he said that support and help started pouring, not just for the kid, but for the entire Badjao community.

UPDATE: Financial support pours in for viral Badjao pupil

He said, “In my next post po, ivovlog ko po yung pagbili po ng mga gamit, sapatos at iba pa sa mga Badjao this weekend dadalhin ko po sila para mo may update kayo sa mga tulong na binibigay nyo.”

“Once again maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat na nagbigay ng tulong in behalf sa aming mga Badjao learners. Mabuhay po tayong lahat.”

As of writing this article, the mentioned viral post has reached 15,000 reactions, 5,000 shares, and 469 comments.

— Richard, The Summit Express