ESSAY

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and
instruction.
Proverbs 1:7
The bible verse above, coming from Proverbs 1:7 was really stamped in my
mind as soon as I started attending SS 104. Why? Heres my explanation. Before I
entered in this course, I dont really pray too much. I was just relying on my own
strength, and I dont seek guidance from the Lord too much. I always say to myself
Bahala na. But, when our journey in class begins, my whole life completely
changed.
I havent really known Ms. Casanova before, because she hasnt become one
of my instructors in the past. In fact, this is the first time Ill be meeting her in this
course Rizal. At first, I feel a little bit nervous. But, shes not really a total stranger
to me, because I already heard a lot of things about her. Some would say Maam
Casanova is a very God-loving woman who always teaches the students some facts
about the true God. I couldnt agree more, because during our very first meeting,
we started our journey with a prayer. And it feels so good and blessed to talk to God
before starting a journey. We feel guided all throughout our journey and we feel
Gods presence in our classroom.
When I was a kid my perception about education is that you only need it in
order to have a better life in the future. You only need education because you need
to earn money in order to satisfy your worldly needs. But as I grew older, Ive come
to realize that education is deeper than that. Education is not like a shallow river,
and it is not just simply what you obtained from the classroom. Education is an
important tool applied in our everyday lives and it is the foundation of the society
towards prosperity and progress.
One of the things I learned all throughout our journey is Rizals quotation:
Education without God is not true education. I learned that Rizal believes in the
idea that education will free the Filipinos from ignorance, and it is the foundation of
a productive Filipino citizen. Moreover, Rizal has deep faith and devotion towards
God. He emphasized that in order to gain true knowledge and education; one must
embrace and accept the true God in his heart.
Another thing I learned in our journey is Maam Casanovas words Always
trust the true God, Jesus Christ. I am not really a religious person, but since Maam
Casanova taught us to pray constantly, Ive learned how to talk properly to God. I
feel overwhelmed and I feel so blessed to have an instructor who constantly gives
us a lot of reminders about God. In times like this, Maam Casanova helps us to
have a strong faith in the power of God.

Education is not only limited into the four corners of the classroom. Just like
what Maam Casanova says. She always says that we are not bookish. Yes its true.
Our journey is beyond the book, and even beyond the grave. Sometimes the best
way to educate yourself is to accept the fact that you dont know everything, so all
you have to do is to accept Christ in your life. You dont have to be afraid, for God is
always with you. This whole semester taught us its not bad to stand on your own
feet, as long as you believe in the power of God. Nothing is impossible if you take
God seriously in your heart.
As a summary of all the learning I gained from this course, I can say that
education makes no sense is a persons attitude is ill-mannered. No matter how
intelligent a person is, or no matter what degree he finished, if his attitudes are
rotten, then he will just become a parasite of the society. A real educated man is
someone who knows how to apply his knowledge in life, someone who is willing to
sacrifice for the benefit of others, and most importantly, someone who carries God
in his/her heart. A person can be considered as Gods child if he recognizes God as
the almighty and superior one. No matter how intelligent a person is, he cannot
surpass the power of the almighty God.
As our journey went along, God gives me a lot of positive vibes, a lot of
hopes, and a lot of strength. Knowing that no matter how despair I am or how
terrible the world is, I can still sense a smell of hope through the Lords love
messages. I know that despite of my problems in life, particularly in school, family
and other life pressures, I know there is always a God who provides me everything I
need. With God, nothing is impossible. If I do my best, God will do the rest, and it
just shows how almighty and powerful He is. I am weak, but through Christ, I am still
standing, and conquering my problems in life. Sometimes I feel like giving up and
there are certain times when I feel so unfortunate because of all the burdens in life.
But then, God provided everything. He proved me that I am not alone. He proved
me that I can solve all my problems through him. He proved me that He really loves
me
Regarding on the film-making, I was excited when I heard that our project
would be film-making about the love story of Jose Rizal and Nelly Bousted. Because
when I was in high school, I already experienced this kind of project, and I know that
it was really fun to make it. The main characters are Melissa Mia who played the
role of Nelly Bousted, and John Derick Lacsamana who played the role of Rizal.
Although many of us are not part of the major characters in the story, our leaders in
the class made sure that each one of us shall have a participation regarding the
film-making. My role is simple; I am just the maid who served cups of tea for Jose
Rizal, Antonio Luna and Nelly Bousteds family. Sometimes, our leaders are
instructing us to have a cameo appearance as extra characters in the movie. With
our cooperation, we were able to finish the shooting in two days. During the times
of working on with our project, Ive experienced a lot of things. I got to socialize
more with my other classmates. Before we did the shooting, I only know few people

in the class. But as our project progresses, I became friends with my other
classmates, I started talking to them, have a bonding with them, eat together with
them and laugh with them. I think thats the most important thing Ive experienced
in the film-making. Interacting and socializing with other people is the most
beautiful thing that happened to me in this semester. Because basically, I am an
introvert and shy type of person, but then, just like what I told a while ago, my
whole life completely changed since I entered this course. Thanks to my classmates,
thanks to Maam Casanova, and above all, thanks to God for letting this thing
happened to me.