03/10/2025
𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖇𝖑𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊𝖘 || 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗧, 𝗠𝗚𝗔 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗨𝗡𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗢!
“𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨?”
Her voice echoed in the four sided room as her slim hand held the chalk feebly between her fingers.
The question hung in the air, answered only by silent shakes of heads and tired gazes that followed her every graceful stroke on the chalkboard.
Her lips etched a gentle smile, but her eyes whispered the exhaustion she dared not reveal.
An educator—someone who shapes minds and futures. Yet, so often, their struggles are overlooked.
We see only the well kept image: the smile, the laughter, the steady voice. But behind those eyes lies a story of sacrifice, fatigue, and resilience beyond measure.
𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝘀𝗶𝗿!
The ringing of the school bell signals freedom for many. But for sir, it marks the start of another battle.
He folds away his wrinkled, chalk stained uniform and replaces it with a simple black polo. The classroom may have emptied, but his day is far from over.
With his worn out laptop tucked under his arm, he rushes—not home to rest, but to another school, another set of students, another round of lessons.
It is not just passion that drives him, but necessity. He teaches not only to share knowledge, but to make ends meet—to put food on the table, to keep the lights on, to ensure his family can live comfortably.
And though his body aches and his spirit longs for rest, he still walks into every classroom with a smile that conceals his fatigue, choosing to give hope rather than show despair.
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝘀𝗶𝗿!
𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿
Not all teachers grew up dreaming of chalkboards and lesson plans. Some once had different paths, different dreams—yet life and duty called them here.
She is one of them. Her name bears the title “𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗿.,” and yet, here she stands—tall and poised, clad in a well ironed uniform paired with a black blazer. Her straight, silky hair falls gently on her shoulders, as her eyes meet those of her students.
Every formula she explains, every lecture she delivers, is a promise fulfilled—a return of service to the scholarship that once carried her when she once had nothing but hope.
But in the process, she discovers a different kind of purpose. For though she was trained to build bridges, machines, and structures, now she is building lives, confidence, and futures.
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿!
𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀!
𝘽𝙧𝙧𝙩! 𝘽𝙧𝙧𝙩!
The alarm shatters the quiet of the dim room. It is only 5:00 am. The sun has barely begun to peek through the curtains, but already the weight of the day presses on her.
Her body pleads for just one more minute of rest. Her eyes burn with yesterday’s exhaustion. But she knows that there is no more time to borrow.
With a deep breath, she rises.
She prepares herself in silence, dons her uniform, and brushes her hair. In the mirror, she paints a smile—a radiant one, bright enough to hide the fatigue gnawing at her soul.
By the time she steps into her classroom, the tired woman from the early morning is gone. In her place stands miss: patient, lively, inspiring.
Her students will never know the weight she carried from dawn, because she chooses every day to greet them not with weariness, but with warmth.
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀!
𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝗠𝗮’𝗮𝗺!
The world assumes the teacher’s day ends when the final bell rings. But Ma’am knows otherwise.
Her bag sags with the weight of ungraded papers. Her laptop presses heavily against her shoulder. Lesson plans and deadlines occupy the corners of her mind. Every step toward home feels heavier than the last.
At last, she pushes open her door. Her body aches, her spirit longs to collapse—when suddenly
“𝙈𝙖𝙢𝙖!!”
Her child’s voice pierces the silence, small arms wrap around her legs, and in that instant, the fatigue dissolves.
She smiles, wide and bright, hiding the exhaustion that lingers deep in her eyes.
Because for her children, she must give the best of herself—even when there is almost nothing left to give.
She is both Ma’am in the classroom and Mama at home.
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗼, 𝗠𝗮’𝗮𝗺!
“𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨?”
And so, when her voice echoes again—the silence that surrounded her runs thickly with gratitude.
Gratitude for the 𝗦𝗶𝗿 who works two jobs just to make tomorrow possible.
Gratitude for the 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 who build confidence wnd lives.
Gratitude for the 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 who rises at dawn despite her weary soul.
Gratitude for the 𝗠𝗮’𝗮𝗺 who carries her students’ futures in one hand and her children’s dreams in the other.
To our teachers, our 𝗦𝗶𝗿𝘀, our 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀, our 𝗠𝗮’𝗮𝗺𝘀—𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙤 𝙠𝙖𝙢𝙞 𝙨𝙖 𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙤.
You are the unseen heroes who walk quietly among us, the steady hands that mold tomorrow, the unwavering lights in the dimmest of rooms.
Your eyes may echo exhaustion, but to us, they shine with hope.
And for that, 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡.
📝 Cicada
🎨 Juniel Jayme
