Of Jingles and Promises

This is officially my first post that is not an academic requirement. I apologize for not updating soon enough; I've been quite busy over the break.

Elections

Here in the Philippines, this coming Monday is the nation-wide barangay-level elections (except for the earthquake-ravaged Bohol and the siege-recovering Zamboanga). The Philippine barangay is the rough equivalent of a district or village, and is the smallest administrative unit. Basically, voters go to precincts and vote for a barangay captain and seven barangay kagawad or councilor.

Jingles and Promises

Barangay elections are held every three years. And as is the status quo here in the Philippines, every campaign has its campaign jingles (spoofs of different songs, mostly English songs; Bruno Mars' Treasure, Justin Bieber's Baby, Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape are some songs of note that have been used). These jingles range from entertaining to downright annoying, especially when the speakers are on full-blast on a would-have-been peaceful weekend morning. But I digress.

Every campaign period these candidates parade themselves to the people, loudspeakers and megaphones blasting out their platforms and promises of progress, clean governance and flowery words. Confetti usually in the colors of the party being scattered on the roads, traffic congesting at each street and the angry blaring of car horns usually drown out those platforms of promises.

Literacy

Thus far my blog post sounds very pessimistic. It is not my intention to antagonize the candidates for kagawad, nor is it my intention to discredit their campaign strategies. My intention is to send this message to all Filipinos who will vote this coming Monday: VOTE WISELY.

According to a 2011 study by the National Statistics Office (Philippines) basic literacy in the country for men (aged 10-64) was at 95.1%, for women (aged 10-64) it was 96.1%. Functional literacy, or the ability to read, write, understand and apply words and numbers, was 84.2% for men and 88.7% for women. Not so big a drop, right?

Numerically, at least.

And yet every election always ends up with a corrupt official in power, manipulating public funds. Somehow one of these buwaya (literally 'crocodile'; slang term for corrupt official) always ends up an official, amassing wealth and power while millions remain starving, homeless and jobless. Hearing about it is disturbing. Actually seeing the effects of corruption in the slums of the Metropolis? It's disgusting.

Ah, Education

If more funds were used wisely and efficiently for the educational sector, so many people would be better equipped to screen which promises are just flowery words and which are legitimate goals. Maybe then, the vote and voice of the educated would not be overwhelmed by the vote of the less-privileged who are easily-swayed by promises and flowery words - and oftentimes, money.

It's not enough to just demand that more funds be allocated to the educational sector, because that sector currently enjoys a large cut of the annual budget (which could use more money, to be honest, but that's not the point). Money wasted on unnecessary projects could instead be used to invest on research facilities and books for school children.

I'd like to share something I heard last night at mass. It was called the "Prayer for Voters" and it was shared to us by our priest during the concluding rites:

"For it is by voting wisely that we may receive the seeds of true democracy."

Yes, I cannot stress that enough. Not just in the Philippines, but in all countries that allow their citizenry to vote. It is a right to vote. But it is also a duty which must be exercised responsibly. One voice can make or break a candidate's position. One voice can dictate the future of thousands or even millions. One voice can make a change.

A Postscript for Candidates

Of course this blog post would not be complete without a message for the candidates themselves.

To all candidates, barangay-level or not, please keep this in mind: You have been given the mandate of the people, please do not waste that trust. A congratulations to all candidates for giving your all in this campaign, I wish you all the best of luck and may the best man win. Always keep in mind that it is the people who can bring you to power, but it is also they who can bring you down. 

I'll leave you to ponder on that, and hope for the best this coming Monday.

Sources:

1. http://www.census.gov.ph/old/data/sectordata/factsheets/gender_factsheet_FLEMMS.pdf

Reactions V ...sort of

A 5-part blog entry

This is officially the final required blog entry for the semester. It was originally intended for our first exposure trip to our respective teaching sites, but due to an unfortunate conflict of events (the kids' classes being cancelled, for one) the trip was moved to next semester, and as such this entry will be about our session last Monday. That disappointed me a bit, to be honest; but hey, that's life!

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Instead of our intended trip we had another film-showing. Our professor left us with this question before playing he video: What is your center? I thought it was Mulan, to be honest (but that quote would have been "find your center"). The film was Rise of the Guardians, a 2012 American 3D computer-animated film featuring the 'guardians' of certain aspects of childhood, and of children: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, Sandman and Tooth Fairy, and their newest addition, Jack Frost, as they battle the Boogeyman Pitch Black.

The story presents an interesting situation for immortal beings in general. For them to be "seen", they must be believed in. But once a spirit becomes a guardian, he must be believed in by children and once this belief is established he must maintain it, otherwise his power will wane. Such is the dilemma of Jack Frost, who has struggled for the past three centuries trying to make children believe in him.

Center I

The scene that opens up the central question of this blog post is when Jack Frost is called to the North Pole and has a private conversation with North, better known as Santa Claus.

North explaining the concept of a guardian's 'center' to Jack Frost
From: disneyscreencaps.com

"... This 'wonder' is what I put into the world! And what I protect in children; it is what makes me a guardian. It is my center. What is yours?"

--- Santa Claus to Jack Frost

And because I don't know where to place this trailer, and to make sure it doesn't spoil a carefully-outlined blog entry, here you go: (a big thank you to the Youtube channel DreamworksAnimation for this!)

Center II

What is your center?

Here I'm equating the concept of 'center' with purpose. What is one's purpose? The center affects the whole, and the whole those around it.

Teachers all over the world have different reasons for entering the profession - the desire to inspire a student, collect resources, earn extra income - no matter the motivation, the teacher's center affects the teacher and his students. That's a big wave cast by one tiny droplet, if you look at it that way. As an aspiring teacher, I asked myself North's question. What is my purpose? Why do I want to teach?

I've always wanted to teach - not necessarily be a teacher, but to simply teach. I've had this dream since I was little where I share what I know and make an effect on someone, and that someone passing it on and on. Very Humanistic, I know. But the beauty is when, one day, you see that spark in a student's eyes that say I've got it. When that happens, I imagine that I will feel the best kind of satisfaction. And when, years later my student is out in the world carving out a name for himself, I can point to him (or a picture of him, whichever works) and say, That's MY student.

Until then I'll build myself up on that dream and know that I have my center to guide me: sharing.

Welcome to the Dark Side, it's [going to be] awesome

An important message my professor told us to cap the semester is empowerment.

The goal of the Literacy Training Service (LTS) Program is to empower children by developing their literacy. Not just basic literacy, mind you, but functional literacy; the ability to read, write and practically make sense of what you know. For the rest of the year, we must not forget our goal of empowering kids so that they have a better chance at life.

Being a teacher is going to be challenging, because the program is aimed at kids who have a harder time with reading. But I know it's going to be worth it. Because, as my professor emphasized, our goal is world domination.

I kid.

A cropped-out screencap of the e-mail from our professor before our first meeting

See you again soon,

Daniel.

Reactions IV

A 5-part blog entry

Up until last Monday, our Literacy Training Service (LTS) sessions consisted of seminars and activities. When I entered the classroom last Monday, though, the set-up baffled me. Our relatively large classroom was suddenly divided into smaller sections, with chairs and tables being set-up facing different directions. I doubled-back and checked if I had accidentally walked in on the wrong classroom, but I got the right one. Was there an event that coincided with our class? Were classes cancelled for the day and I had just forgotten to check my e-mail? Fortunately though one of the people setting up - my professors - sees me and with an amusing expression invites me in.

"Pick a spot," she urges me. I look closer at the room and quickly figure out that the room has been divided into three smaller sections, creating a simulation of classrooms. I chose one and sat down on one of the already-set chairs.

As my equally-confused classmates eventually came in and chose their own spot in their own "classroom", one of the women setting up approached each of us with a roll of masking tape and a marker, asking our names and making name tags for everyone.

Kid for a day

It turns out the women who were setting up were actually upperclassmen Education majors who volunteered to be our "kindergarten teachers". I can say it was amusing to play a kindergarten kid for a few hours. We had a very interactive story-telling and a few games and activities after that, like vocabulary exercises and fill-in-the-blank activity sheets and posters. You could really tell that our volunteer teacher put a lot of effort to make all the interactive objects and other teaching paraphernalia. I wish I had taken pictures of some of the simple string mechanisms she used in the vocabulary exercises.

Play time

The simulation ended and we rearranged the seats in our usual lecture set-up. Our professor then flashed pictures on the screen. They were traditional Filipino games, and she asked us to identify them. These games are commonly played by children in the street - patintero, luksong baka, luksong tinik, palo sebo and other games. But with the relatively recent iPads and smart phones, children are seldom seen outside playing with other children.

Our professor's point was that no matter what a child was playing, playing in itself is important for development. They help a child learn teamwork (more the traditional games than those on the phone), play by established rules, and overall, develop a child's sense of his own abilities.

It's interesting to note that she also pointed out how telling a child to keep silent, to sit erect, and to follow all that boring class decorum were actually unnatural for a child. It makes sense, though; not letting a child develop by being his natural (to an acceptable and reasonably tolerable point, of course) self and letting him explore is limiting him in an alien environment.

The four-pronged approach

What we experienced, continues our professor, was a combination of study and play: the Four-Pronged Approach. Simply put, said approach consists of four parts to encourage a child not only to read but to love to read. I found an interesting pdf online by Raidis Laudiano that describes it in detail: http://www.jeanettepatindol.com/uploads/3/5/3/0/353097/the_four-pronged_approach.pdf

1. Genuine Love for Reading: The first step is establishing an interest for a piece, say, a story, in a child. This stage is basically where you take the child on a very guided tour of the story and the words. Vocabulary, plot and other elements must be clearly detailed to the child.
2. Critical Thinking: The children are asked the motive question. From this, the discussion flows and explains the entire story, each time asking the child more questions until they fully grasp it.
3. Mastery of the Structures of the Language: In this third stage, vocabulary, attention span, and listening comprehension are developed. Vocabulary exercises are a perfect tool for grasping new words, while making it fun for the kids helps them focus more on the goal - appreciating the story.
4. Transfer Stage: This is a stage I like to refer to as a 'transcendence stage'. This is sort of a culmination of the approach. Worksheets are helpful in letting a child piece the story together according to how they understood it. It reflects how much a child has learned and, hopefully, will lead to the child learning to love to read.

The session left a very deep impression on me. There was so much effort poured into a relatively small amount of time, but it would have a large impact on a child. I guess you could say this was an inspirational and re-affirmation point for me. Seeing how willing and enthusiastic our volunteer teachers were, and at the same time how fun the activity was, only deepened my desire to make a change in a child's future. And I guess that's why most of us become teachers - the desire to make a change and to empower a child with knowledge. It's a noble profession, yes. But it's sure to be a rewarding one.

Reactions III: Pictures

An informal part of the 5-part blog entry

As promised, here are the only relevant pictures (the only ones I remembered to take hehe) of the recent egg-drop activity from my most recent post.

Egg drop site: A view of the three-stories in the College of Education.

The egg that did! A peek of the egg in its silicon case.

Reflections III: Learning, Part II

A 5-part blog entry

Note: Pictures to follow!

As a college student, I can say one of the biggest reliefs of graduating high school was leaving behind physics. Don't get me wrong, as a high school student I loved the math and science subjects, I was even part of the Science club my entire high school life. The one science subject I just really didn't enjoy was physics. Having had to take it in my senior year, I can say that physics was one of the walls I had to break to graduate with honors. One of the 'initiation rites', if you will, in that course was the dreaded egg drop. You could just feel my excitement (or rather the absence thereof) when our professor for the Literacy Training Service (LTS) Program told us that was our next activity.

Whoop-de-do.

Not sure whether the prayers are for me or the egg.
From: supermemes.net

Collaboration

Thankfully this was a group work of three members, and collaboration for ideas was very effective! Another thing I was thankful for was the fact that while in high school we were only allowed to use straws to construct an egg chamber, for our LTS class we were allowed virtually any material we could get our hands on. And this is where being an arts student pays off.

Silicon, my friend.

Our plan seemed great. We would get a simple plastic jar, stuff it with newspaper and place the egg in. On one of our online meetings, I suggested using a silicon chamber to protect the egg and act as an additional cushion. I'm not sure why I suggested it in the first place. In hindsight, I'm not sure what purpose the silicon had - sure it would cushion the egg to some extent, but overall I think it was unnecessary.

Preparation

It was Sunday evening. LTS sessions were on Monday mornings. I quickly prepared the silicon casing (which was prepared days prior), set the container and stuffed it with crumpled balls of newspaper. I tried placing the silicon casing in, making sure it wouldn't be too loose inside. Once I was satisfied, I placed the egg in and closed the lid.

The following morning I arrived at the university. I wondered from which floor we would drop our egg chambers. In high school, we dropped the egg chambers from the 5th floor. That was 5 relatively-low floors. The College of Education, where the LTS Program was based, has 3 high floors. 3 intimidatingly-high floors. You could just imagine how nervous I felt when I realized this. The nervousness was compounded when I saw some of my classmates with BALLOONS attached to their egg chambers.

Eggs eggs eggs

Our professor asked for volunteers on which groups wanted to drop their chambers first - three groups of three members each in a batch; one to drop the chamber, one to act as a spotter on the ground floor, and the last member could go accompany any of the other two.

I wanted to see what would happen to the other groups, so I waited for the time being. The first batch of groups made their way to the third floor, and on our professors' count to three, each group dropped their chambers. Everyone held their breaths as each representative released their chambers and waited as each precious egg in their supposedly-protective cases dropped to the ground. Time seemed to stretch for those few seconds as we watched the chambers plummet to the ground. Lo and behold, the entire first batch was a success! Each of the three groups' eggs remained whole.

I wanted to get this over with and just drop the thing. So I volunteered to be part of the second batch and climbed to the third floor, clutching the newspaper-filled plastic container. I looked down and was extremely thankful I wasn't born an egg.

Our professor counted.

One.

Arms outstretched, fingers ready to let go of the container.

Two.

A gulp. Just let go.

Three.

Release.

I see the white blur of the plastic container fall to the ground.

A loud crack is heard. I hear it all the way in the third floor.

Oh shoot.

I see my group mates run over to the spot where our chamber landed, and I rush down the stairs to see the extent of the damage. The lid is broken and disregarded to one side, we slowly and carefully lift the silicon out of the container and open it, grimacing at what we knew was inside. And to our surprise, the egg is unscathed. We each sigh in relief as our professor takes pictures of our dumbstruck, relieved faces.

What happened next was a blur. More batches of groups dropped their egg chambers. Some as elaborate as being held by toothpicks and garter, some simple as a Manila-paper parachute and a bottle, and some as interesting as a tin can with cornstarch. Out of all 15 groups, though, only one egg broke because the chamber was dropped too far and bounced off a railing on the way down.

What and how

We were all eventually herded back to our classroom for a post-activity discussion, and we listened to an interesting lecture on looking not at what we learned, but instead focusing on how we learned. It was an important detail to point out. Most of us probably remember the joy of learning when we were in kindergarten. The way our teachers would make everything a game to make us learn a simple concept like addition or colors is always a happy recollection. But as we grow older most of us probably just learn to pass. The passion may still be there, but we are forced by limiting factors such as time constraints to just cram things in our minds.

Physics, for example. We memorize formulae, laws and constants and when the exams come, we apply them. But how much do we really know? The egg drop experiment (more then than now, to be honest) really helped us understand what we were doing. Practical application of basic laws was the key to hurling a chamber - from a three or five-storey building, it technically makes no difference - without damaging the egg inside. For a subject such as physics, these types of hands-on experiments are perfect.

Our professor stressed that working hands-on is important for grasping and applying concepts - this was a lesson that we as future teachers had to keep in mind. This coming Monday, we'll be visiting our assigned schools for the first time. The kids we'll be handling are in a very young and crucial stage of development. It's both a challenge and an honor to get to work with these kids. Hopefully, when we do meet the kids, we'll be able to give them a good time so they can enjoy learning just as much as we did when we were there age.

Looking forward to it!

Reflections II: Learning, Part I

A 5-part blog entry

So I'm back way before I expected to be, and I guess I should be happy about that. I need a break from all these plates. I know how obligated my blog entries thus far must sound, but I'd like to think I can actually maintain this blog LONG after the semester is over (next week. I can hardly wait!).

Anyway, on to the blog entry proper!

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

A few weeks ago our class had a film-showing, which means sitting for 3 hours in an air-conditioned room with the lights off! (Again, the advantages of having typical Chinese slits-for-eyes. But I'd like to stress that the movie was good even after the second time and I didn't entertain the possibility of sleep; mind you I'm very studious... at least I'd like to think I am.)

So the film was 3 Idiots, a 2009 movie from India which tackles the dogmatic pressure from parents to push onto their children a path they want. Its a comedy, with the right amount of seriousness sprinkled here and there. A lot of dramatic scenes were family-themed, such as Raju Rastogi's father being rushed to the hospital after being on the verge of death, and his own confinement following a suicidal fall-induced coma.

Voice

3 Idiots was a bit of an eye-opener, to say the least, for both parents and children. While most parents only want what is best for their children, I guess sometimes they try too hard and push for what they want instead of listening to what the child actually wants. A perfect example for this is Farhan Qureshi, whose future is already seemingly paved by his father at birth! (Which will be seen in the trailer at the end of this entry.)

For a child it's a wake up call to just stand up and tell your parents what you want. Considering the scenario with the characters in the movie, most especially Farhan's case, they never really spoke up. Farhan just went with what his parents wanted without even the slightest objection.

Come on, we live in the 21st century.
Okay, so his college days were probably late 1990's, but hey you can speak your mind, it's not the 1940's.

As is the case with Pia's brother, the son of Virus, Director of the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE), it is originally maintained that he died in an accident. Later on in the movie, an emotional Pia reveals to her father that he committed suicide by jumping off a train because of all the pressure to enter the college and pursue engineering, when all he wanted was to study literature. Pia blames their father, saying that if he, for one moment, said that he could be whatever he wanted to be, then her brother would still be alive. On the other side though, her brother never spoke up. Virus was just pushing for excellence and telling his son to strive hard, albeit in ways that are only implied to be pressuring. If it was worth dying for (and he did die for it, technically), all he had to do was speak up. Speaking up opens possibilities, at the very least.

The Teacher and the Student

It's also important to note the role and relationship a teacher has in the development of a student. Teachers are here to guide students, to make sure that they are equipped with whatever skills needed for the real world. It just depends on how the teacher prepares the student.

There's an especially touching scene in the movie, when Virus gives his astronaut's pen, the much-revered insignia of excellence in the ICE to Rancho. What's touching is how Virus has been saving that pen for decades, waiting for a student who would finally surpass him. On top of that, if you've watched the movie you can pretty much establish that from the start they didn't have the best of initial relationships. If not, I'm sorry but I warned you - SPOILERS.

The Fundamentals of Learning

But then, the movie wants to mainly circle around the fundamentals of learning. This is underscored when a pissed-off "Silencer" (actually Chatur; he is called "Silencer" due of his deadly farts), the star pupil of the college, challenges Rancho to a bet on who will be the more successful of the two after 10 years. The bet is essentially based on their opposing principles: Silencer believes that success can be achieved through sheer memorization and brown-nosing his way through college, while Rancho believes that pursuing excellence and living one's passion is enough, as success will surely follow after.

True to the bet, Silencer, now a successful engineer and big-shot Vice President of some company, contacts Rancho's two good friends Raju and Farhan. Raju is now a successful engineer (with a blog!), is happily married and is now out of the poverty he was born into. Farhan pursued his dreams of being a wildlife photographer and has several books published in his name. The three embark on a journey to locate their friend, who has cut off all contact with them, and on the way they even pick up Rancho's college sweetheart Pia.

I find it noteworthy to say that they soon discover that the man who they knew as Rancho was only posing under a false identity, his real name being referred by the real Rancho as "Chhote". They also discover that he is currently a schoolteacher, much to the delight of Silencer, who clearly belittles the noble profession, as he equates success with money. (Something which I will rant about in the future, but I digress.)

The final minutes of the movie show Silencer and the group finally locating Chhote, now Phukdush Wangdu, a successful scientist with hundreds of patents to his name. Coincidentally, he is the man Silencer if desperately trying to strike a deal with, proving once and for all that apparently, Silencer lost the bet.

Literally biting Silencer in the butt
From: icanhas.cheezburger.com

I'd like to end this entry by emphasizing three things:

First: the importance of the passion to learn. Hey, take a look at Chhote. He even changed his name to get an education. You can see just how much Chhote values education and learning, stating that his purpose for entering the college was because of his passion of machines.

Second: the importance of the relationship and effect of a teacher. I'd like to quote something from Avatar: The Last Airbender. (Because I am a hardcore ATLA fan)

"Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes."

---Avatar Roku to Aang, on the former's friendship with Monk Gyatso, Season 3 Episode 6: The Avatar and the Fire Lord

In a similar way, a teacher plays a big part in a student's life. A student owes most of his knowledge to his teacher, whether he learned things directly from his mentor, or if he learned how to learn from him. I cannot begin to emphasize just how profound an effect a teacher has on the life of a student. Whatever he learns, he carries with him his entire life. My grandfather used to always tell my mother, that knowledge is the one thing no one can take away from you, and is the one thing money can't buy. That says a lot about teachers. They are responsible for imparting one of life's most priceless gifts to those who are willing to hold their hand out.

Third: Learn from the idiots. When you feel stressed, like how I will tomorrow as I face a sea of deadlines, just place your hand over your heart and recite the mantra of the great guru Chhote: AAL IZZ WELL.

End of Spoiler (It's safe to look now)

Overall, I'd say this was a great movie. If you haven't seen it, go and watch! If you have, well, there's no harm in watching it again!

Aaaaand as promised, the movie trailer! Thanks to youtube user owlstone for uploading!

Reflections I

A 5-part blog entry

Hello. This is my first time with a blog, so I thought I'd give a bit of a background first.

I'm a Fine Arts Student at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. We have this National Service Training Program here in the Philippines and I enrolled under the one I really wanted - the Literacy Training Service Program. We're required to make blog entries as reflections about our recent seminars and activities, so I guess that pretty much covers introductions.

It's currently Finals Week here in UP. And while I slave over my final plates I think a short break has been earned (despite being spent on less-taxing and draining academic requirements, but I digress).

My first entry will be about one of our earliest seminars, the State of Literacy in the Philippines.

In a nutshell, I can tell you that that morning started as a boring one. Sitting down in a large classroom, looking at figures and Powerpoint slides and fighting the urge to shut my eyes without anyone noticing (having your typical Chinese slits-for-eyes has its advantages), all while being lulled by the dull drone of the air-conditioner.

Something immediately snapped my attention back, though. It was the sound of my professor's voice, telling us about how, in the first year of America's education program for the Philippines (basically sending teachers to the Philippines) the Filipino students garnered scores that were at par with their American counterparts in Math and Science. Somehow, as a guy who one day wants to teach and mold minds, that little tidbit made me proud. And somehow it became a perfect example about how, under it all, we're all human, and if the colonialists had realized that centuries prior, at best all the racism-induced suffering the Filipinos went through wouldn't probably have happened, or at worst, would probably not have been so grave.

Our professor goes on about the then-inequity of literacy in the country and several American specialists going on and on about how the cultural diversity of the country made it near impossible to have a consistent literacy rate throughout the archipelago. I mean, yeah, you've got 7,107 islands and lots of different ethnicities, what do you expect, right?

Wrong.

Suddenly our professor is talking about how the specialists were approaching the entire thing the wrong way. You've got hundreds of ethnicities in one of the world's most diverse archipelagos. You can't give them all the same text book and use the same examples. It's nice to actually learn that once they spotted the flaw in their system there was actually action that followed. Passivity was out of the question. (Yes, that was just an indirect jab at the government.) And so the literacy rate steadily increased, and there's that feeling that creeps from your stomach, something akin to national pride.

So yes, that morning started out as an extremely boring one. But it ended with a hopeful note. The literacy rate of the Philippines continues to rise, and as a teacher-hopeful, that makes me both happy and proud. Education is given more attention now, and hopefully when I'm 55 and decide to finally apply for a teaching job, the state of literacy will be something to really be proud of.