Teaching with 2KK

by Fernando Miguel V. Carlos

A lot of people try to find different ways in helping those who are less privileged than they are, sometimes through means of charitable events or monthly donations. But truly, nothing is more valuable than the gift of education. That is why when I was given the opportunity by 2KK to teach kids in a public school about literature and the love for it, I immediately accepted their offer.
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As much as it was an exhilarating and new experience, I also feel blessed with being surrounded by so many fun and bright kids. To be honest, I was terrified at first when thinking about the prospect of making a lesson plan or how my team mates and I would facilitate more than 20 kids. But thankfully, the people from 2KK were very accommodating and clear about how we should interact with them. They were patient and very helpful when it came to the logistics of it.

On that day, before we got to the venue - a jeepney ride from UP Diliman to a Escopa, Quezon City - they told us that the most important part about the whole experience was to have fun with the kids. That placed me at ease. To the 2KK group, the whole exchange was not solely about teaching these kids about literature, but rather to spend time with them and give them all our attention and love.

Before everything started, the other participants and I could not help but feel a bit stressful, with the traffic, materials needed, and the scorching heat. But when we actually got to meet the kids and talked to them, all these worries seemed to melt away. Their smiles and cheery demeanor had some kind of magical effect on us, brushing away all our anxieties and fears, allowing us to just enjoy our time with them. But we did not just teach these kids about poems and literature: we also played with them, talked to them, got to know who they were and their stories. Even though we were the ones asked to teach them, all of us would agree that we, too, learned something that day.

My personal realization about the whole experience was that no matter how insignificant you think your actions are, never underestimate the effect your small acts of kindness can do for these kids. For some reason, we’ve bloated up this idea that we need to fix and help all the broken people and homeless families in our country with one big swoop, that we need to come together and think up some big plan to save everyone in one go. But I believe that no matter who we come across with or whatever we do, just giving someone your attention is one of the biggest things we can do.

I would like to say my thanks to the people in 2KK for blessing me with the opportunity to go out and bless others. It is safe to say this will be one of the many outreaches I will be doing with 2KK.