Teacher With Sick Kid At Home Breaks Down After Opening Gift From Students

Apr 04, 2023 by apost team

Teachers can be many things to a student. Some can be strict; others can be gentle. At the end of the day, no one can deny that teachers impart one of the most invaluable gifts a person can receive: the gift of knowledge. But more than making sure that their students learn a thing or two from them in different fields or areas, teachers serve as second parents to students and provide a safe space for them outside their own homes. That said, the love and care of students should be reciprocated. Of course, there are several ways to do it. As simple as listening to them or acing the tests can already make them proud. But this group of students from the Philippines made sure to go the extra mile by giving one of their teachers a much-deserved appreciation for the things that he does for them.

In August 2019, a group of graduating students from the Immaculate Heart of Mary School in the town of San Pedro in the Province of Laguna in the Philippines surprised their teacher, Cesar Punzalan, with a pair of shoes.

The uploader of the emotional video, Michelle Legaspi, revealed in her post that Punzalan had to endure an hour of walking from his home to the school where he was teaching every day. She also added that Punzalan’s shoes have since been worn out and damaged.

According to Legaspi, Punzalan’s child suffers from an illness, saying it could be one of the reasons why he couldn’t buy his own shoes.

“Before we start our class, here’s a gift for you,” one of the students said in Filipino before handing over the box to Punzalan.

“For what?” a seemingly baffled Punzalan asked. 

While trying to untangle the ribbon wrapped around the box, Punzalan asked again: “What’s this?”

In the video, the students can be heard teasing their teacher in Filipino. Some were saying the box contained cockroaches, while others said it had a snake in it.

Students then handed him a scissor, joking that he should do a ribbon-cutting ceremony. When he finally cut the ribbon, his students asked him to guess inside while teasing him that it contained $18,000 or that there could be a house and a lot inside it. Punzalan thought there could be a snake inside the box, so he uttered the Filipino word for snake.

“Sir, you might want to feel it first before fully opening the box because it might bite you,” one of the students teased him.

But little did Punzalan know that the box contained a pair of shoes that his students bought using money they collected from class.

“Why did you spend money on me?” an emotional Punzalan asked his students in Filipino.

“Because we love you. Each one of us chipped in money to buy that pair of shoes for you,” one of the students said in Filipino.

“You have really helped us a lot ever since we were in Grade 9, Sir. That’s nothing compared to the knowledge you have imparted to us,” another student said.

“You know, in my profession, I expect nothing in return because part of my job is to impart what I have learned,” Punzalan responded.

But the response of another student, who said they just wanted to know how much they appreciate him, left him in tears.  

“We just wanted to give you something that would make you feel our appreciation before we leave,” one student said.

apost.com

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