Teacher Shares Story of Grade 4 Student Working at Night to Support Family
A male teacher felt sorry for his Grade 4 student who has been working at a very young age after his mother suffered a stroke.
Recently, Juan Dela Cruz, a Facebook user, shared photos of his student who appeared extremely tired during his class. The post quickly went viral and received various reactions from the online community.
The teacher noticed that his student, Mauro, often appeared extremely tired in class. He would sometimes fall asleep during lessons, making it difficult for him to keep up with schoolwork. Out of concern, the teacher decided to ask him why he seemed so exhausted every day.
Mauro revealed that he works as a parking boy at night. On some mornings before school, he also collects recyclables to earn a little money for his daily allowance. He works at night to support himself because his mother had suffered a stroke and could no longer provide for him.
Despite his struggles, Mauro still makes the effort to attend school every day. His dedication to learning, even while carrying responsibilities far beyond his age, left his teacher both saddened and inspired.
Dela Cruz realized on how unfair life can be for children like Mauro, who are left with no choice but to shoulder adult responsibilities at such a young age. He also pointed out how resources that are often wasted or lost to corruption could instead change the lives of children in need.
Here is the full post:
“Yung working student na senior high school na or college, maiintindihan ko pa eh. Pero itong bata ko na to, iba kwento nito.
Siya si Mauro, grade 4 student ko ngayon. Kapag papasok lagi ito sa school, ganyan siya lagi. Tulog na tulog at pagod na pagod sa klase kaya ang ending, nahuhuli na siya sa mga lesson at mga gawain. Hirap din gisingin, halatang pagod na pagod kapag nasa classroom. One time, tinanong ko siya ano ba ganap niya sa buhay bakit lagi siyang tulog. Sabi niya “sorry po teacher, sa gabi po kasi nagpaparking boy ako. Sa umaga naman bago ako pumasok minsan nangangalakal pa ako para may pangbaon.” Pagtapos nito, napatulala na lang ako sa kanya.. halata niya rin yung naging reaksyon ko kaya sinundan niya ng “stroke na po kasi si mama” sabay yuko na lang.
Ang bigat lang, araw-araw gusto pumasok at matuto nito pero isa siya sa mga batang nagmukhang no choice na rin sa buhay. Iniisip ko na lang bilang guro, paano kaya kung yung nakurakot na ilang bilyon ng mga buwaya ay napupunta na lang pangtulong sa mga kagaya ng bata ko na to no? May mga ganto pa rin kaya?
Wala napaisip lang ako haha, 10 years old pa lang kasi siya. May the Lord bless him!”
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
