Grade 4 was a year of quiet transition, moving to the main school building, meeting new classmates, and learning about life even beyond classroom. It was the year I tried harder, played harder, and quietly carried the weight of things, things I didn't fully understand. I may not have stood out as the best, but I knew I was growing, bit by bit. shaped by my classmates, my teachers, and the people around me, especially those who had so little, yet gave so much. That year reminded me that even in unassuming places, there were joys, friendships, and moments that would stay with me for the rest of my life.
I have only a few memories left from this year, but I’ll try my best to recall what I can. I was in the afternoon session, and my teacher was Mrs. Pastor. I liked her, she was a good teacher: short-haired, fair-complexioned, and calm in demeanor. She was kind to me. I remember one time she even asked me to accompany her home to help carry the stool she used in school. It was quite a walk for her house was around two kilometers away. Still, I didn’t mind. I was always naturally respectful, especially toward people I considered above me in stature. And as my teacher, she truly deserved that respect.
I tried hard academically, but others stood out
By this time, we no longer had a single teacher handling all subjects. There were now specialized teachers for each area: Math, English, Social Studies, Science, and more. Being promoted to Grade 4, Section 2 meant I had moved up two steps from where I had been the previous year. It was a sign of progress, and I was proud of that.
In this new class, I continued striving to excel. But I quickly noticed that one classmate seated near me was simply more advanced. His name was Reynold Chiquote (if I remember correctly), and he was a fast learner, sharp, quick to understand lessons, and often ahead of the rest.
The teaching method back then was usually straightforward: the teacher would explain a lesson, and afterward, we’d be asked questions to test our understanding. One day, I was called to the blackboard to write something about animal classifications, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and so on. Reynold whispered the answers to help me. At first, I hesitated, I didn’t like being spoon-fed. I wanted my answers to be my own. But pride had to give way. It would have been more embarrassing not to answer at all.
But the brightest in our class was a girl named Jocelyn Ababon. She lived in Kinasang-an, Pardo. I visited their home once and saw they were very poor. I had expected to see her again in Grade 5, Section 1, where I was headed, but she was no longer there. Maybe she had dropped out for some reason or another. I never found out for sure.
Learning paper skills from a classmate
My close friends in class were James Alegado and Ariel Quijano. Ariel, in particular, taught me a lot of paper, folding skills, frogs, planes, birds, and even more complicated shapes. While at work, I now pass on what I learned, showing them to my office mates. Making a paper frog or airplane always reminds me of him.
My older siblings performance in school
photo above: May and Glenn, circa late 1970s
That year, I moved to the school’s main building. Sections 1 and 2 of each grade level had classes there. My brother Junjun was in Grade V, Section 1, in the morning session. My elder siblings had always been in Section 1. My sister May was a consistent honor student, she graduated as Salutatorian. During this time, she was already in her second year at Abellana National School in the city, between downtown and uptown Cebu. My brother Glenn (whom we called Giging) was also in Abellana, starting his first year. He had been awarded Boy Scout of the Year upon graduation in grade school.
Floor scrubbing with coconut husk (bunot battles)
In the main school building I was now in, scrubbing the classroom floor with bunot (coconut husk) was a regular cleaning chore. But for us kids, we turned it into a full-blown game. We’d place our feet on the husk, hold on to a partner or balance ourselves, and slide across the floor like we were skating.
Sometimes, we turned it into a battle or “bunot bumping”, where two kids would scrub toward each other and try to knock the bunot off their opponent’s foot. The one who stayed on won. It was loud, messy, and full of laughter, but the floors ended up shiny, so even the teachers didn’t mind too much.
My best part of the year
What truly brightened this school year for me was the Christmas season. That’s when I was so mesmerized by the songs we began to practice for the occasion. The most popular song then was Michael Jackson’s “Give Love on Christmas Day”. it literally was played everywhere and also became my favorite. Other songs included “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Mama Cita,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and many more. The Christmas party, especially the exchange gift, was the most anticipated event.
When it came my time to buy a gift, my sister and I went to the market. I chose a figurine, it was the gift I really wanted for myself. But after the Christmas party, I went home with tears in my eyes. The gift I received was a bar of detergent soap and a small pack of powder detergent. If there's someone who could be a bit happier, it's my mom. But then, I was crushed inside, though I was still a bit composed, not to show my disappointment.
Outside school activities
Outside school, these were the days that my life was filled with games and laughter. I played with kids in the neighborhood, siatong, tago-tago, bagol, tigso, dakop-dakop, bato-lata, bitok-bitok, Chinese garter, Chinese slipper, sungka, even jackstone when I was with the girls. I loved storytelling, especially horror stories. My playmates included Gina, Elvie, Glendale, Nat, Ayen, Randy, and others whose faces still linger in my memory.
photo above: Junjun "Artemio Jr." during school closing ceremonies with our eldest sister May, he's a consistent honor student, late 1970s
That was also the time when we had “bayle,” a sort of a dance party during barrio or barangay fiesta, sometimes we called it later as disco, happening just near our house. My brother Junjun would bring a box filled with cigarettes and candies to sell to partygoers. Later on, I followed his lead and sold items too to earn money.
The kindness of my dear aunt
photo above: Mama Presing,with my older siblings in a beach in Talisay, Cebu, circa 1968
During some months of that school year, Papa’s older sister, Mama Presing, stayed with us. She was an old maid, gentle, soft-spoken, and very kind. She opened a small sari-sari store just beside our front door. Junjun even built her a wooden coin box to keep her small earnings. She sold bread, candies, and snacks, just enough to make a little profit, though not much. She was so kind to me. She was always the one to comfort me whenever Mama or Papa scolded or beat me for some mischief I had done. She would quietly hand me few coins from her savings, just to calm me down and stop from crying. I never ever remember a moment she had treated me harshly. But despite her goodness and generosity, I must admit with shame that I sometimes took coins from her cash box without her knowing. Because Mama Asyon was too stingy. To this day, I still feel guilty about it.