by Janina Calma

“Do you think I have forgotten about you?”

This lyric from The 1975’s “About You,” perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to suddenly be enveloped in a flurry of nostalgia. To be in a place of bustle and chaos, when a familiar song plays in the background. Suddenly, you are traveling through the spiral of time; watching an intimate moment replay while laughter wraps the room around you and you catch a glimpse of the  faces you dedicated this song to. 

To dedicate a song to someone entails that the someone is special – someone we share remarkable moments with and someone we bring with us as we go and grow. These ‘someones’ are people whom  we have shared boisterous laughs with, the people we shared our heartbreaks with, the people who taught us what we know – our teachers. They laughed and joked with us to try and lighten the difficult lesson they’re teaching — they were even present when we failed our first quiz. Most importantly, they have taught us by example to go beyond being a student and to strive to be a better person. 

Everything I know, I owe to you

Anxiety clung to Jolo Bartolome, a student from 12-Sullivan, as he entered his classroom as a junior. He knew that the Ateneo Senior High School was uncharted waters and he had already formed preconceived notions about the environment and the teacher. When his phone got confiscated by his moderator, resulting in his first DI (Disciplinary Intervention) and a fear for the teacher, it was a striking moment as he realized: this is a place where he’ll learn a lot. 

Fortunately, he was proven right. The academic year passed by and his fear turned into respect, before it was transformed into gratitude and appreciation. These teachers — these formators are who he turns to when he needs a guiding light and motivation. Dedicating Laufey’s “Everything I Know About Love,” to his teachers, he recognizes that everything he knows, he owes it to his teachers who took it upon themselves to be a mentor beyond just academics. 

Much as Laufey said, “I don’t know that much at all / I trip, I fall every time / I try, it’s all too much.” As we navigate uncharted waters and new chapters so often, there will always be teachers who are willing to stand tall and guide our journey despite our many inevitable mistakes. 

Ali Samaniego of 11-Hurtado, like Jolo, sees teachers as a beacon of guidance, hope and strength. “It must be hard to handle and help form so many students,” she thought. Dedicating Mon Rovia’s “Big Love Ahead,” to her teachers, she appreciates and recognizes their role in catching students when they fall and helping them soar once again. 

More than being a beacon, they are a shining motivation for Ali — people she looks up to so much that she is considering taking the same path as them in pursuing passion and drive as a teacher into serving the younger generations. 

We will be remembered

Utang na loob. The incessant thought in the mind of Gia Buenconsejo, a student from 11-De Brito, as she dedicates Taylor Swift’s “Long Live,” to her beloved teachers. Ultimately, she feels unfailing gratitude for the teachers who brought magic into her life, making it more than meaningful. She holds steadfast appreciation for those who continued to support her, staying behind so that she had someone to look back to when she made it far. Above all, love and only love for teachers like her mother, who shape their students as if they were their own flesh and blood. 

“One day, we will be remembered.” Sharing the same sentiment from this lyric, Gia recognizes that when she makes it big and far in life, it will not only be by her own efforts, but through the invisible hand pulling her up and lessons embedded into her life even without her consciously knowing. 

Similar to Gia’s sentiments, Ena De Jesus from 11-Gavan understands that we are forever changed once we are taught and loved by teachers. She remembers her teachers in Faye Webster’s “I Know You,” particularly in the lines of “When we’re old and have to leave the Earth / I’ll still remember all I’ve learned / From you.” For Ena, a teacher’s legacy continues to live through the lessons imparted to their students, forever animated as these valuable teachings are passed down.

“I know a place / It’s somewhere I go when I need to remember your face.”

Similar to this lyric from the 1975’s “About You,” there are places we let our minds wander to when we want to relive euphoric moments. We often find ourselves in moments of struggles, longing to be in those nostalgic times again, because then, we had teachers who served as landmarks to guide us in the direction we’re supposed to take. In moments of struggles, in depths of despair, in times of trials, when you find yourself longing to rewind being in your favorite classroom again, sit back, replay these songs, and reminisce on these priceless memories.