IT IS during the prom night that girls become ladies and boys, gentlemen. So far, I have five times the excitement; I had two proms in high school, and two in college. The last one I attended took place last night, where I was as excited as the students because it’s my first prom—this time, as a teacher.

The program was to start at six o’clock. At three o’clock in the afternoon, I was ready. Because I don’t have my own vehicle, I waited for my students who promised to pick me up. I couldn’t text them and they couldn’t text me, too, because my phone is broken. Then it was four thirty, but no one came. But another student, actually my niece, told me that they are going with their classmate who has a car and there would be some space left for me. It was almost six o’clock but one of them was still dressing up.

I couldn’t be late because I would be reading the names of the pairs during their grand entrance. So I ended up riding a motorcycle, which took me to the venue about 18-km away in less than 10 minutes.

I wore a black Chinese-inspired suit, which made the students bow before me and call me Master Kung, after a character in ABS-CBN’s Kung Fu Kids.
 
In the whole duration of the event, I was assisting Ms. Marge, one of the two advisers of the Juniors because Ms. Annabel was not able to come.

It was another beautiful experience for me. It’s different when you are a teacher; I didn’t have to be anxious or tense because I would be reading the batch history or because I would be dancing in the cotillion. Those were fears that the students would face up to. Mine and the class advisers’ was the program’s to be successful.

I know the feeling of a junior or a senior on a night like last night. I wanted the students to make the most of the event because it was their night. We were not there to spoil the fun but to keep watch of the students’ behaviors, to ensure their safety, and to make sure that the prom would be remembered as one of their best memories of their high school life.