Saturday, December 5, 2009

Ralph "Tito Laplap" Cecilio

Cagayan de Oro lost an inspiration when my uncle, Ralph Cecilio, died a few days ago. His battle with lung cancer has finally ended.

Tito Laplap, as we fondly called him, was a big man with a giant heart. He treated everyone in a special, unique way. He was also a teacher in every sense of the word - one who teaches you things beyond the four walls of a classroom. He was always ready to inspire you to learn. And this is how he became one of my inspirations back when I was still struggling to find my way as a teacher.

Nope, I was never in his classes. But he taught me a lot. He taught me the value of education. He taught me how to show my students what learning was all about. He taught me how to help my students love learning, especially when it came to all things related to Literature. He taught me that it was possible to make my students love reading and writing...and learning. All these he did without him saying a single word to me; without him teaching me what I needed to do. He only had to give me suggestions like "Let them watch this and that on channel this and that." Simple tips, but they meant a lot to me. And I learned a lot from these.

I stopped teaching in 2006. He never grew tired of it, not even when he was diagnosed with his cancer. Such courage! Such dedication! I wish I had known him much longer...I wish I had spent more time with him; more than the chit-chats we used to have every time we met each other after Sunday Mass in KetKai. But then, all that cannot be now. He has gone on to join our Master. The one who gave him his incredible gifts.

At least, I was a part of his life. At least, I was touched by his presence. Now all that I need to do is preserve every single learning that I got from him - from merely listening to him every time we talked, and from merely observing him when he was in deep conversation with someone else. I'll treasure every single one of those memories...forever. Someday, when I get the chance to go back to teaching, I know I'll be able to make use of the inspiration that he was, and still is, to me.

Now that he is gone, Cagayan de Oro has lost a shining example of an inspiration for the youth. There will not be anybody like him for years to come. He'll remain the only one.




'Bye, Tito Laplap! I'll miss you...


1 comment:

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Ralph "Tito Laplap" Cecilio

Cagayan de Oro lost an inspiration when my uncle, Ralph Cecilio, died a few days ago. His battle with lung cancer has finally ended.

Tito Laplap, as we fondly called him, was a big man with a giant heart. He treated everyone in a special, unique way. He was also a teacher in every sense of the word - one who teaches you things beyond the four walls of a classroom. He was always ready to inspire you to learn. And this is how he became one of my inspirations back when I was still struggling to find my way as a teacher.

Nope, I was never in his classes. But he taught me a lot. He taught me the value of education. He taught me how to show my students what learning was all about. He taught me how to help my students love learning, especially when it came to all things related to Literature. He taught me that it was possible to make my students love reading and writing...and learning. All these he did without him saying a single word to me; without him teaching me what I needed to do. He only had to give me suggestions like "Let them watch this and that on channel this and that." Simple tips, but they meant a lot to me. And I learned a lot from these.

I stopped teaching in 2006. He never grew tired of it, not even when he was diagnosed with his cancer. Such courage! Such dedication! I wish I had known him much longer...I wish I had spent more time with him; more than the chit-chats we used to have every time we met each other after Sunday Mass in KetKai. But then, all that cannot be now. He has gone on to join our Master. The one who gave him his incredible gifts.

At least, I was a part of his life. At least, I was touched by his presence. Now all that I need to do is preserve every single learning that I got from him - from merely listening to him every time we talked, and from merely observing him when he was in deep conversation with someone else. I'll treasure every single one of those memories...forever. Someday, when I get the chance to go back to teaching, I know I'll be able to make use of the inspiration that he was, and still is, to me.

Now that he is gone, Cagayan de Oro has lost a shining example of an inspiration for the youth. There will not be anybody like him for years to come. He'll remain the only one.




'Bye, Tito Laplap! I'll miss you...


1 comment: