Utos ng Hari

            I could still remember when Mrs. Uncreative asked us to write a reflection paper about Helen of Troy. I made a poem then. She returned our papers and my classmates said “Yes!”, “Yes!” and “Yes!” They asked me what my score was. I did not answer them instead I went to Mrs. Uncreative. I told her that she might have forgotten to grade my work. She got the paper from my hand, wrote something on it and said: “You got zero!” I was like “WHAT?” The words in every line of each stanza came out from my heart and mind after I watched the movie. “You got zero because you wrote a poem,” she added. I wanted to reason out that all she instructed was to write a reflection paper. However, I did not have the courage to do it – it’s actually one of the things that I’ve regretted in my life. She probably thought that she’s the most powerful person in town. I began to think that schools could kill the creativity of the students. It tells you to do this-and-that and you can do nothing about it. You might have something to say but your fear would swallow it before the air would hear it. So, to Jojo: I feel you.

            Just this afternoon, Mr. IronMan said creativity can be taught. He shared how some supervisors reacted. For them, creativity is a gift. Meaning, you could not have creativity if you did not receive it when you first opened your eyes.

            Now, I am trying to analyze how creativity can be taught. Then I remember how I learned a lot from the tasks given by Mr. Ironman. Yes, he did say do this – just this. He gave us a goal and that’s it. Meaning, we should find our own ways in order to achieve the goal instead of following the ways being provided. And yes, I actually did use my creativity (after a long time) in scriptwriting and marketing. It made me very happy. Then there will be no such thing as Utos ng Hari – just Kaligayahang Walang Hanggan. However, there’s always a limitation of everything of course. Let’s not forget about that.

            Jun Cruz Reyes’ Utos ng Hari is a very good piece. Students could really relate to Jojo. Teachers would also be more open-minded – not judging the capabilities of a student because he is this-and-that.

            One thing I have learned from the story: if you want to learn, do not be afraid to get wrong.