i told you so...

A good teacher dies

He was just an ordinary man - simple, hardworking and friendly. But his death left an aching void in the hearts of all who knew him. Augusto de Leon, a 40-year-old grade school teacher at St. Scholastica's Academy, was generally known as a good person - a loving husband and father, a caring teacher and a man with a kind heart. His co-teachers remember him as a cheerful, kind and energetic friend, always eager to lend a helping hand to others. His dream was to give his three kids a good future and he worked hard to realize this dream.

Last Friday night, while he was on his way home from his part-time job as a teacher at St. Joseph's (he also did extra tutoring jobs to augment his income), he met his death in a tragic accident, when he was thrown off his motorcycle after it was hit by a vehicle in downtown Bacolod.

The impact was so great that his jaw was cracked and his body broken in so many places. A loving father to the end, he was bringing lechon manok for his family at the time of the accident. There wasn't a dry eye among the crowd who witnessed the sight of his family in grief at the loss of their loved one. His wife Mary Ann, kids Kheemphee, Brianne and Keith Albert, were inconsolable in their sorrow.

His students at St. Scho could hardly believe that he is gone. He was so full of life and truly cared for them. This was a teacher who refused to give up on his student, no matter how hopeless it seemed. He would call on the parents and try to find ways on how their child could improve. One of his students said he could never forget his "Sir de Leon". The young boy knew that his teacher was sincerely concerned about his low grades and his maddeningly mischievous ways. He was forever reminding him to do better or he might fail. It was a delighted Mr. de Leon who congratulated his grateful student for making it when he passed.

And so, while attending the wake for their beloved teacher, the young boy gave his allowance - all the money he had in his pocket. This was his way of saying, "Thank you, sir!" It would have made his teacher smile.

Published in the Visayan Daily Star by Ivy Visitacion, StarLife


***tsk. tsk.***

you see, for having been good to the world...

i told you so. tsk. tsk.