Fr Tchou The Man vs. Fr. Tchou The Image
November 8, 2008
MOM wasnt a traditional mother the way most people understood the role: she wasnt stay-at-home, wasnt a believer of the mother-as-protector stereotype, and she never gave a second thought to paninindak if it served the purpose of instilling the fear of God in us kidz: from her horror paperbacks and island hometown legends, she told us of black dogs bigger than horses prowling her mother's tiny village (anti-vagrancy) , hundreds of giant bats that colored the noontime sky dark as night (anti-lakwatsa), and apelike creatures that still roamed the rainforests in Bicol (anti-tigas ng ulo).
She might as well have told us Aesop's fables, as these just whetted our appetite for the scary.
Sometime in 1973 onwards, though , her scaremongering - as - disciplining policy started becoming obsolete, as it was replaced (in school) by something , or someone exponentially more effective:
"He usually had heat-seeking, shifty eyes, framed in rectangular, spartan glasses. I would often see them sandwiched by reflecting jalousies that seemed to multiply his perspective of each classroom he eyeballed. He would lock his gaze on whoever was overtly mischievous, make a quiet but clearly authoritative signal politely bypassing the teacher's jurisdiction, and the unfortunate student was on his way to Fr (Charles) Tchou's office for a scolding."
This typical scene in St Jude has been replayed over and over spanning three decades throughout countless batches, each incident further cementing Fr Tchou's reputation as a tough, but kind disciplinarian.
His passing yesterday marked the end of an era.
For years and years, his no-nonsense style taught thousands of Judenites, boys AND girls, the true meaning of AUTHORITY . Meaning, you can choose to step out of line but eventually you WILL get your ass kicked. Ironically, he only did it often enough to make sure that 99% of the student population believed it would happen, Fr Tchou descending from his GPRS vantage point, making a quick "surgical strike" excising the unruly / offending student, whisk him off to Gitmo, and returning him chastened and disciplined.
To the remaining 1% "hardcore" mischievous who didnt comply with the "speak softly but carry a big stick" philosophy of our beloved Student Counselor , and for whom "deterrence" wasnt enough, he had other ways. We often said that the singular dread of every naughty boy (or girl) in school was the trip to his office, where a "dressing down" often culminated in a call to the folks, by Fr Tchou, the ultimate in punishment. This was because as regards penalties for bad behavior, Fr Tchou was often the court of primary jurisdiction, the court of appeal, and the court of final resort. More often than not, the advisors, head teachers, and even the Office of the Principal deferred to him on deportment matters.
All these contrasts with his true character of someone who lived an outstandlingly simple life, was kind and gentle with the studentry, and who lived selflessly at all times.
My brothers can recall him bringing home in his VW Beetle those students stranded and without sundo, on typhoon days, circa early 1970s. Between the 3 SJCS fathers, he is the one who was seen in school the most, I dont know about others but for me that, more than anything, gave the impression that he cared the most. His upbringing and his milieu precluded his being a touchy-feely person, but i have no doubt that he genuinely cared for each student that he came in contact with.
I have several less-than-pleasant experiences with Father: I was twice on the business end of his scissors during his many raids, with him "shearing" a hole in my ebony mane; off color pants, black socks, many infractions didn t escape his zealous eyes. All in the name of discipline. I have begrudged him nothing.
In fact, I am sad that my own children have not benefitted from a strict code not unlike his; probably many misguided youths in society would have turned out more decent had they matriculated somewhere like Fr Tchou's SJCS.
Although he has inhabited many a dark dream and melancholy maze of my nocturnal world, his overpowering presence in my psyche (and doubtless that of many others) has purchased a worthy prize: I respect authority, and think twice (even thrice) before attempting something a trifle shady, because somewhere I know Fr Tchou will be disapprovingly making tsk, tsk, tsk at me.
Thanks for caring enough about me, Fr Tchou. Paalam po and zai jian.