The Smoke of War Extend Beyond My Book

These were the
students of
yesterday,
so jolly and
active. and
today...we
became fewer.
Where will we
find the other?







The day after
tomorrow, we
were fewer!
and this
school will
be a haunted
place!

It was Monday morning, 25^th day of August which my early vocation

of the day has been set. Since my day in teaching, I always see to it that

my schedule will be in the morning. I dislikes the afternoon session for I

refuse to see the eyes of students with mixed feeling of going home and

the point which their interest started to exhaust. I prepare two lessons that day.

I provided one for my Elementary Algebra, another for Geometry

while I scheduled my Advance Algebra for an evaluation test. Our lesson in

Elementary Algebra requires a review on “Addition of like and Unlike Signs”.

Adding like signs will always give positive result, regardless of its signs.

Positive and a positive resulted to positive, likewise negative and a

negative signs still provide a positive answer. As for the Geometry,

I have a review on adjacent angles to integrate it to the introduction of

quadrilaterals. I made it clear to the student that any adjacent angles

is always a supplementary angles, hence, regardless of its degrees the

two angles share a to a total of 180 degrees.

I pack-up my bag after a glass of coffee’ with milk and a pair of slice bread,

I rushed to our old-wheels that shuttle to our Barrio High National

High School. I was expecting to be a bit earlier than my students,

but I was wrong. When I enter in the classroom, I found them all set

to take the early lessons. I wrote on the blackboard the rules on

“addition of like and unlike sign”. I situated my writing on the rear side

of the blackboard to give more space for illustrations and discussions. I limit

my illustrations into four, since adding like signs required examples on

adding negative and a negative equals positive and adding positive equals

positive too, while unlike signs need examples on adding negative and a

positive equals negative, another on addition of positive and a negative

equals to negative also. To make this clear let us observe these

mathematical presentations;

Addition of like signs:

1.) -(-)=+

2.) +(+)=+

Addition of Unlike signs:

1.) –(+)=-

2.) +(-)=-

I started my discussions as clear as my writings. I tried to convince them

that any opposing idea will never gives positive result, like the addition of

unlike signs. “YES MA’AM!” They chanted in chorus as if my ears drop

its drums. ” VERY GOOD!” I seconded. Then how about the like signs, I asked.

One student was so very shy and said… Ma’am, you said before that a

negative number is not a counting numbers for they are not natural numbers,

how are the two negative numbers become positive? I paused for a while

and think on the question. It is a very smart question that I cannot think

for an immediate answer. In the first place I plan to give it as an assignment

to give ways for my advance research. But I am too shy to play this as an alibi.

Alas! I have a clue! I invite their attention and listen for awhile for were

almost done with our discussions. I started to explain and walk from the

right corner of the blackboard and pause when I arrive on the rear end.

Class, negative numbers are extension of natural numbers, I exaggerate!

But another smart student debated me that these negative numbers can be

used in scaling that goes below zero such as temperature. If the temperature

is below zero, that person is dead, and how should two death became positive.

It is another intellectual question but I have enough to answer it. The answer

is simple, I uttered, death is natural, which prove that negative is an extension

of natural numbers. A student on the left corner who did not understand the

flow of the discussions said, Ma’am! There is many natural numbers in

Udalo! (the war zone since August 24, between Piagapo Lanao del Sur

and Munai Lanao del Norte) I became damned and cannot remember my

last tone. I closed my class record and announce the early break time. I advise

them to come back on time, because the next teacher will keep waiting.

I mingled with my fellow teachers who were busy discussing with the number

of casualties in the same place. Classes in all level, both high school and

elementary has been suspended. We were the only school who handle their

regular classes. We cannot suspend the classes for the “National College

Admission examination will be given on the 27^th of the same month. We

have only two days to wait, except, we will be handling review on the said

Examination to the Senior Students who will take on the said date. Although

the smoke of the war extends beyond our books, but the welfare of the

students will be much affected. We cannot decide otherwise. I confessed

my new anecdote in my freshman students, but they supported the jokes

and agreed that there are really many natural numbers in the said place,

meaning many died in the combat zone.

I pick-up my lesson plan for Geometry and exit to forget the issue. Right

after a few touched on the past lessons, I drew a line intersected by another

line and asked the students what does this line means. One student answered

loudly and said it forms two angles and the same are adjacent angles.

That is correct! I cheered! Can you explain further? As I point on another

student. Then the student answered…Ma’am, an adjacent angles are

supplementary angles! Well done! I clap my hands. Can you give a particular

example? Like a supplementary angles that we are discussing now! Another

student volunteered. Ma’am! She proudly ushered, Udalo and Radapan are adjacent barangay,Therefore, they are supplementary angles equals to 180 degrees.

The Barangay Udalo evacuated and so did Radapan, they shared 180 degrees

of the war, she added. The line of the Arm Forces of the Philippines intersected

the line of the Bangsamoro Army, forming two angles so that the two adjacent

Barangay unequally acquired the degrees of the war. Thus, the degrees affect

the two and make the people to evacuate. Oh! Dear ALLAH! My two lessons

never give morale to keep for these scared students. Their minds were filled with

the smoke of the war! I have no comment to share but I instead shed tears

and went out side of the room.

Before the morning session ended, series of bang! Another bang! Another bang

again! My students were nowhere to find! They run as fast as they can, and

I did not tend to catch them I cannot make it! I enter in the faculty Room and

cried so loud that I did not notice the other faculties who cried in chorus. The

powerful weapon was just two kilometers away from our school. The machine

gun was operated in the Hail side of the nearest University. The smoke and

the sounds hurt our ears. We don’t know where to find a safest place. The gun

seems to bang our head, tough it was not. Fear accommodates our heart. We

don’t know whom to save, although the victim was unknown. We were certain

there were some, but we don’t know who they are. Fear, confusions and a

mixed feeling of anger, but we don’t know whose to blame.

The following day, I report for office work to check my students. Who were

safe and who may not. Thanks to the mercy of ALLAH! They were all clearly

safe but only some report for school and the few never show-up until this writing

is made. I cannot afford to think such harmony in school which turned out to

be horror. I cannot open my book for it entails a memory of the past. The

memories that keeps my heart to hold all the hands of my students, but I

was not able to reach them. They scattered in every corner of the school to

secure themselves. Finally, they went home with out taking my warnings.

Such is the pictures of scared students.

We are the students and teachers in this Combat Zone. We carried in our

books but the smoke of the war extended beyond! Can we have a chance

to interpret other expressions and terms other than the smoke of the war?

How will our lives as students and educators move without been pricked by

its thorn…

YA ALLAH! SAVE OUR MISSION IN LIFE. WE ARE YOUR

SERVANT WHO SAT UNDER YOUR MERCY!