As fanatics of Little Women II (Jo’s Boys), my sisters and I dreamt of putting up a home-like school on a hilltop surrounded by pine trees, songbirds, meadows and a shallow stream. We would build it in Baguio (it was the only mountainous place we knew, then).We decided among ourselves who would care, feed and educate the orphaned children we’d saved from the dangers of street life.

Astounded by Jo’s mesmerizing character, we almost forgot she had a husband who helped her raise the orphans. Never foreseeing we’d ever be married, my sisters and I set out to be masterminds of this paradise where kids could grow close to nature as we nurture their minds, body and soul. Yet, what should we be? What would qualify us as care-takers of these kids? Now that I’ve thought about it, there are two requirements:

(1) Be literate for ourselves – By this, I mean, be informed and skilled enough for a job that could sustain a living.

(2) Surpass literacy, acquire teaching skills.– Thorough knowledge of the academic subjects plus acquisition of instructional techniques.

By “literacy“, we mean “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.” (UNESCO)

Perhaps our imagined home-school needs a revisit. The older we get, the more complicated things seem. I wish I could remain a kid and proceed with the plan without much question, stubbornly acting out of the blazing aim to lead wandering children to a safe and wonderful life.