Chapter 2
Pagkapasok ni Kairi sa Literature class the next day, she felt a mix of anticipation and nonchalance.
May ilan ng mga student sa loob. Nasa class na rin si Miss Herrera, busy sa kanyang desk.
As usual, Kairi took her seat at the back, slouched comfortably with her legs stretched out.
While waiting for the class to start, Kairi's eyes landed on Miss Herrera.
Naalala niya iyong tinginang naganap sa kanilang dalawa from last class pero mabilis din itong inalis sa isip at ipinagsawalang bahala.
Maybe it was nothing, baka nga hindi sa kanya nakatingin ang teacher.
Nang magsimula na ang klase, Miss Herrera looked up and smiled. "Good morning, everyone. Let's dive into today's lesson. We'll be discussing Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere."
At dahil alam at kabisado n ani Kairi ang tungkol sa story, hindi na siya gaanong nakinig. Nabasa na kasi niya ito back in her sophomore year. Nag-doodle na lang siya sa kanyang notebook na nakahiligan na niyang gawin dati pa.
Pero hindi pa rin maikakaila ni Kairi ang galing ng bagong guro sa harap nila. The Miss Herrera explained the story, it's something. Her enthusiasm was contagious.
"Rizal used his characters to criticize the Spanish colonization and the church's hypocrisy," Miss Kairi said, pacing the front of the room. "Can anyone give me an example of a character that embodies this critique?"
A few hands went up, and Miss Herrera called on a student. As they answered, Kairi found herself surprisingly engaged. She had forgotten about doodling. When the discussion moved to Sisa, Kairi couldn't help but contribute. Well, Sisa was one of her favorite characters.
"Sisa represents the suffering of the Filipino mothers during the Spanish era," Kairi said, her voice confident. "She was driven to madness by the injustices around her."
Miss Herrera turned towards her, hindi naitago ang pagkagulat at tuwa sa kanyang mukha. Another one of her students participated – the unexpected one at that. "Exactly, Kairi. Sisa's tragic story is a powerful critique of the colonial society's impact on the Filipino family."
Kairi felt a small rush of satisfaction at the acknowledgment, but she quickly masked it with her usual nonchalant demeanor. She's smart and she does well in academics. Pero wala lang sa kaniya ang lahat ng iyon.
To her, everything's just an obligation that she needed to maintain. She hadn't really found the fun or joy in studying.
The rest of the class passed quickly, with Kairi finding herself more engaged than she expected.
As the bell rang and students began to pack up, Miss Herrera called out, "Before you go, I want to remind you about the essay due next week.
It's on the themes of Noli Me Tangere, and I expect thoughtful and well-argued pieces. "
Kairi rolled her eyes but made a mental note. Usually, ginagawa lang ni Kairi ang mga assignment niya kapag malapit na ang deadline pero pakiramdam niya, this one might be different. Exciting?
Pagkalabas niya ng classroom, nakaabang na agad ang kaniyang mga kaibigan. "Uy, Kai! Ikaw, ha? Nag-pa-participate ka na sa class. Iba talaga ang galing ng isang Kairi Lei Ferrer!" Zoe teased.
Kairi shrugged, may maliit na ngiti sa kanyang mga labi. "Whatever. Noli Me Tangere lang naman."
Natawa si Maya. "Mukhang favorite subject mo na itong Literature, ha. O baka naman si Miss Herrera ang favorite?"
Tumaas ang kilay ni Kairi sa mga lumabas sa bibig ng kanyang kaibigan.
"Oh, shut it up Maya. She's just different from the other teachers. She's...interesting."
Nagpalitan ng nakakalokong ngiti sina Zoe at Maya. Minsan lang kasi maging ganito ang kaibigan nila. She's taking interest in people, towards a teacher which she never really did.
The days went by, and Kairi found herself looking forward to Literature class more and more.
Miss Herrera had a way of making the material come alive, and Kairi couldn't help but be drawn in.
Nagsimula na siyang making sa klase at mag-participate sa mga discussion. Nagbabasa na rin siya ahead of time.
One morning, nagbigay ng group activity si Miss Herrera. "I'll be assigning you intro groups to analyze different chapters of Noli Me Tangere. I'll give you the topics and you'll present your analysis to the class next week."
Kasama ni Kairi sina Zoe, Maya, at ilan pa nilang mga kaklase.
They gathered after school to discuss their assigned chapter.
As always, si Kairi na naman ang napiling maging leader.
Hindi na niya kinokontra iyon dahil gusto rin naman niyang siya ang may control sa takbo ng activities nila, just to make sure that everything's in perfect motion.
Habang ginagawa ang kanya kanya nilang task, bumulong si Zoe sa kanya. "Kairi, alam kong lagi kang seryoso sa studies mo pero iba na yata ito. Iba ang determination natin ah. May gustong i-impress?"
With her usual shrugs, Kairi dismissed her friend. "Nothing changed, Zoe. Mali ang kung ano mang iniisip mo."
Or is she? Baka tama ang kaibigan niya. Napapansin din naman niya sa sarili ang pagbabago. She's eager to do well in the presentation.
The day of the presentations arrived. Ang grupo nila Kairi ang naunang nag-present.
They stood at the front of the class, and Kairi began their analysis with confidence, detailing the themes and character motivations in their assigned chapter.
Miss Herrera watched with an approving smile, nodding along as Kairi spoke.
When they finished, the class clapped, and Miss Herrera stood up. "Great job, everyone. I can see you put a lot of effort into this. Kairi, you led your group well."
Kairi felt a flush of pride at the praise pero mabilis niya itong itinago.
"Thanks, Miss," she mumbled, taking her seat.
Pagkatapos ng klase, tinawag ni Miss Herrera si Kairi na abala sa pagliligpit ng mga gamit. "Kairi, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Kinakabahang naglakad si Kairi papunta sa harapan kung nasaan ang guro. "Yes, Miss?"
"I just wanted to say I'm impressed with your work. Clearly, matalino ka and kaya mong gawin ang mga task sa class, individual man o group activities. I'd like to see you apply yourself more in class."
Napayuko si Kairi, marami ng nagsabi nito sa kanya. Pero ang i-encourage siya to participate more? Wala pa yatang nagsabi ng ganon sa kanya. "Thank you, Miss. I'll try."
Napangiti si Miss Herrera sa narinig. "Ang sabi ng ibang teachers, lagi raw mataas ang mga grades mo. Well, napapansin ko rin naman sa matataas na scores mo sa class ko. But you seem...disconnected. Is everything alright?"
Napatingin si Kairi sa babaeng nasa harap niya. She didn't expect the sudden question. "Yeah. Everything's fine, Miss. Grades are just grades, right?"
Kumunot ang noo ni Miss Herrera. "Grades are important, but they're not everything. It's about what you learn and how you grow. I see so much potential in you, Kairi. You're smart and insightful, but it feels like you're not really engaging."
Kairi sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and something she couldn't quite identify. "I just don't see the point. It's all so... mechanical. I do the work, get the grades, repeat."
Miss Herrera leaned forward. "What if there was more to it? What if you could find something in these lessons that truly mattered to you? Something beyond just the grades?"
Kairi looked at her, searching her face for a hint of insincerity but found none. "I don't know, Miss. Maybe."
Miss Herrera smiled gently. "Pag-isipan mo lang. You're capable of so much more than you realize."
Kairi left the classroom with a lot to think about. Hindi siya sanay sa mga teacher na nagtatanong and even caring beyond her grades. It made her feel...different. Miss Herrera made her think. Could there be more to this whole school thing than just grades?
Could Miss Herrera change how Kairi perceives her repetitive academic life?