For Mrs. Ester B. Esguerra My Principal, My Mentor

I remember
the day you interviewed me.
your bearing, your cordiality —
I saw your magnanimity.

I recall
my terrifying first days,
my first reprimand for being remiss.
I pondered my faults after your reproof.

Remorse struck me then; negligence left me.
No one, among teachers, was spared by your
seemingly scathing remarks —
those never meant to wound, but to awaken.

Our flaws became visible.
Teary-eyed, we worked on them,
until we became better,
until we became the best that we could be.

I muse over your Thursday classes.
Every teacher — no matter the major —
should speak correct English,
know the language, be confident, you said.

That initiative, that discipline,
let us see our need to learn,
made us teachers worth commending.

I meditate on your sacrifices —
you worked hard, you survived,
teaching still in your nineties,
despite your excruciating pain.

I reflect on your diligent care,
your genuine concern,
your enduring spirit,
your productive life's message.

Of all the principals I have had,
you were the only one
true to your word in all your dealings —
Empowerment in its truest form, I witnessed.

You didn't merely lead —
your values, lived out loud,
inspired us to be our finest selves.
Thus, I wholeheartedly say — THANK YOU.
My inspiration has been and will always be you.