I have always loved dark chocolates. I love the bitter-sweet taste of it . And I am consistent. Even my life is a concoction of bitter-sweet experiences. This year’s closing rites is a bitter-sweet occasion. It calls for a grand celebration as Eastbridge honors its first batch of elementary graduates. Yet I feel sad with the fact that I will no longer see these students in school comes June. And this coincides with my daughter moving in to the dormitory as she enters college.

Being an educator is like having an extended family. You take responsibility for other people’s kids and become a second parent to them. And when the time comes to let them go, you can’t help but have this tugging feeling in your heart. Nevertheless, you are also glad that they are drawing closer to their destiny.

Each academic year has always been challenging. This year takes a different challenge in terms of faith and discipline. Though Eastbridge is known as a multiple-intelligence academy, it has always functioned based on biblical principles. The president’s move to become a fulltime pastor cast doubt on some whether the school is still non-sectarian. It is. We still welcome various denominations in our midst. It does not really change things as we are not teaching religion. Religion is divisive. What we espouse is an education that is not only focused on academic competence but as well as an education that takes responsibility for one’s action based on one’s accountability to God and to one’s fellowmen. 

And this fact has also created a problem with some parents who do not believe in the kind of discipline we adhere to. Dr. Spocks is not an authority on discipline. The bible is. Our students will always be accorded with love, care and respect, but we will not hesitate to deal with them with a firm but gentle hand when necessary. Verbal abuse and physical punishments are out of the question, but reasonable reprimand and consequence for one’s action will always be a part of Eastbridge education.

Let me share with you this poem which best summarizes/expresses our tenet:

The world needs men

who cannot be bought;

whose word is their bond;

who put character above wealth;

who possess opinions and a will;

who are larger than their vocations;

who do not hesitate to take chances;

who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;

who will be as honest in small things as in great things;

who will make no compromise with wrong;

whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;

who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it”;

who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;

who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hard headedness are the best qualities for winning success;

who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;

who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says “yes.

The foundation should be laid down as early as possible. It might be a long shot but with God’s grace, we pray that we can somehow instill in our students principles that will help them become God-fearing and responsible people. But we cannot do this alone. We urge you parents to support us especially in matters of discipline. Let us unite our hearts and mind in pursuing what is ideal even if the world says otherwise.

Congratulations to everyone!

Teacher Jane