He didn't look like a knight in shining armor, straight out of a meeting at Arthur's Round Table. Nor did he come riding in on a white horse like the man of La Mancha, fresh from battling windmills. Dylan Wilk, this "knight" of the 21st century, if you will, strode into the room, smiling his open, friendly smile, dressed in a blue short-sleeved shirt and jeans, and holding a cellphone in his hand.
"Magandang hapon po," was his greeting in (almost) accent-free Filipino.
He had come from some other office close by, possibly from the Couples for Christ offices out front. He looks young, and yes, he is young - he's 30 years old - with a determined and "I-know-what-I'm-saying, I-know-what-I'm-doing" air about him. These are traits that must certainly be among those that have made Dylan the man that he is now. In his mid-twenties he had come into his own; he owned at least three luxury cars -- a Ferrari, a Porsche, and a silver BMW M3 (this last-named being the famous one that evolved into some 63 GK houses in what is now known as BMW Village); was living a lifestyle he only used to read and perhaps dream about, and was well on his way to making more of the kind of money he wanted and knew he could make.
First question that comes to mind: What on earth is this young, good-looking, green-eyed, white-skinned guy doing in an office like this?
"In 20 years or so I'll be like one of them," he said, referring to pot-bellied, wealthy, successful gentlemen with the perennial drink in hand, sitting in leather upholstered chairs in exclusive clubs, twice or thrice-divorced, hated by their children who hardly see them, substituting money, beautiful houses, fast cars, expensive resort vacations for love and warmth and caring and a sense of family. "I decided that wasn't for me," he said.
He knew that there must be more to life than material success, money in the bank, opportunities at his fingertips; that fulfillment went beyond luxury cars and living in luxury hotels, moving within the circles of "the rich and the beautiful," drinking expensive wines, dining in expensive restaurants. He wanted so much more than that. He wanted to make a difference.
So he traveled the world, looking for causes, searching for one that he made sure will not be lost, keeping a dream that he made sure will be realized.
Dylan knows about being poor, for he was born poor in a city called Leeds which began in 1086 as a village with a population of about 200. Of course when he was born some 10 centuries later, Leeds was esteemed to be the wealthiest city of its size in Britain.
He is a product of a quick-thinking, technology-savvy generation and his computer games firm made him the ninth richest man in Britain before he reached thirty. Luckily for us, he is also a man with lots of heart and an overwhelming sense of bayani and bayanihan --words he quickly translated to action.
To write about Dylan is unavoidably to write about Gawad Kalinga, the Couples for Christ spin-off that, wonderfully, has proven to be a workable, even successful, solution to our slums and our homeless poor. Dylan believes fervently in the Filipino's optimism and unfading hope that things can always get better; in his bayanihan spirit that makes him readily offer a helping hand.
"There's a hero, a bayani inside every Filipino," Dylan says. "It's what makes him build his own house and when that's finished, turn around to help build his neighbor's house."
And the GK houses? They call them sites, they call them projects costing about 50 to 60,000 pesos each. They call them cluster houses, villages, communities. In reality, they are dreams come true, dreams that have evolved into cement and hollow blocks, galvanized roofing, wood and plaster, doors and windows, paint and plants. A structure called a home, occupied by people called a family, filled with laughter, happy voices, clean kids - a home filled with hope and love.
The key words they go by? A meaning to life, self-respect, upliftment. The houses are not mere shelters, a roof over their heads, four walls to protect them. They are so much more; they give meaning to existence; give self-respect to each individual; teach each one to be generous, concerned, caring. Neighbors weren't just people who live next to each other; they were neighbors in the true sense of the word, helping each other in every way that help was needed.
What more can be said about Dylan that has not already been said? He fires other people's enthusiasm by his own fiery enthusiasm . . . charms them with his wit . . . inspires them with his sincerity and passion.
He travels all over the globe, speaking before Filipinos who have long been away from their native land and may have forgotten - or may not wish to remember - how it is with us here, how misery can compound misery and poverty can dig deep down into the dregs; how hopelessness begets hopelessness.
Speaking before Filipinos, talking to them and letting them know things don't have to be this bad, things could be a whole lot better, just give their kababayans a chance, because a glimmer of hope can be a blazing light that can turn a kababayan into a bayani , a hero among other heroes, reaching out to pull others up, offering a helping hand to put a neighbor's house together. A hero in small, everyday ways that put all together does make a big difference.
How can his audiences not respond to this Briton who has so identified himself with the Filipinos he works with, lives with, and believes so wholeheartedly in?
"I first came here in January 2003, after hearing about the Philippines and especially about poor Filipinos living in the slums or being utterly homeless." He returned in April of that same year, and stayed on.
And will he return to his native England someday in the future?
"I'm married to a Filipina," he says, "and my children will be raised as Filipinos, so I suppose I'll stay here forever," he smiles. He's married to Anna, the daughter of GK executive director Tony Meloto. And that's about as committed as anyone can get, certainly.
His fervor and untiring efforts have inspired the families in these GK communities to move on, to make dream a reality, to dare to hope. They're putting to practice an old truth that most of us know by heart even as grade school kids, having seen these words written on the blackboards of our schooldays: "IF THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY." Perhaps we can modify that to read "If there's a Wilk, there's a way."
After all, it's every man's right to dream, to keep a dream in his heart. But only a rare few, like Dylan Wilk, are blessed with the privilege to make other men's dreams come true.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
THEN A HERO COMES ALONG
Sunday, September 20, 2009
RANDOM 1 - OUT OF THE NORM
Today, seldom will you see TV programs that are so spiritually uplifting. What the boob tube unfortunately and in gracious hefting serves is mega doses of violence, sexuality and profanity plus a little of senseless slapstick that always leaves me bewildered of how we can be so violently insane. This is the reason why I never liked sacking myself in the couch munching on something inedible watching TV. To be fair though, there are still good TV shows that definitely touches my heart. I do not know how others take this one, but I always appreciate reality TV programs that highlight the true spirit of humankind. Some say these are subtle forms of exploitation - only for the rating game and the dollar they pour to the dying entertainment industry. To each his own; however, if these programs glorify the triumph of man over adversities and atrocities to teach the many a lesson or two, then I think the exploitation allegation is justifiable. One such program is Bio Channel's Random 1.
Random 1 chronicles chance meeting of people. Its premise is simple. A group of good Samaritans (R1) still believes in the inherent goodness of man. On the street and anywhere they approach ordinary people, talk with them and learn more about their lives. They believe each person has a problem or two which are bothering him or her. Random 1 likes to help ordinary people with their problems, may it be simple like a lost contact lens or something more profound and bigger such as recovering from alcoholism. Random 1 makes chance encounters happen which hopefully save the person's problem. Basically, it is helping people solve problems by facilitating random meeting with other kind-hearted individuals.
The premise sounds absurd at first. When you start watching the program, however, you will realize that indeed it can work. It works to Mark, Norman and Joe the Barber. All three are alcoholics. They are chronic alcohol drinkers, alcohol deviants if I may, because their lives have been totally devastated by the habit. Mark in his 40's has his life wasted in the very eyes of his father who has faith that his only son still can change. In a tent city, Mark met Norman and because they share the same passion for alcohol, bonded together and saw both of them drown in the spiraling vortex of alcohol addiction. It is in this utter squalor that Random 1 chances on Mark. After this random meeting, Mark gets to be introduced to Joe the Barber who has an equally interesting past to share.
With the help of his father, Random 1 was able to help Mark become somebody new again. This is not the most exciting part of the story though. Mark wanted to help Norman too. Norman in his early 50's was left alone by his three children because of alcoholism. With Mark's help, Random 1 was able to film a clip of Norman and showed it on TV. Norman's children saw it and felt pity for the father they have not seen for 13 years already. Random 1 facilitated the reunion of Norman and his three children. The meeting was tense-filled. Random 1 did not know what would transpire. Norman without any remorse in his heart hugged his children, now adults. He could not describe how he felt most especially when he learned that he is now a proud grandfather of two grandsons and one granddaughter.
Norman promised to change for his children and also for his grandchildren. With Mark and his father's encouragement, Norman entered a detox center for alcoholics. It served as a middle house before the real rehabilitation. He survived the seven days of sobriety and felt ready now for the rehabilitation. Entered Joe the Barber. After Mark and Random 1 fetched Norman from the Wilson House (detox center), they passed by Joe to give Norman a new haircut. Joe himself is an alcoholic but for 27 years now is clean and carves his own niche in the local community - he is everybody's friendly barber. He gave Norman a token of some sort which the latter has to hold on when tempted back to drink again. Today Norman is a changed man, thanks to Random 1 and chance meeting with modern day good Samaritans.
I was so moved by this Random 1 episode. It stunned me sitting on the couch. Men don't cry, alcoholic men most especially because they would like to believe that they are strong. Physically yes, but sadly, they are not emotionally. Norman is a big man but when he cried his heart out, tears pouring out of his eyes down his bearded cheeks, I cannot imagine how unfair society was for him - how unfair for us to judge the many Normans around us. Random 1 has opened my eyes on this sad reality that we can be so judgmental. Shows like Random 1 give me so much hope that we can indeed make a difference if only we care. Random 1 in all its simplicity and with all its unconvoluted plots is more than entertaining. It is spiritually uplifting. It is good for the heart...and the soul.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
TEXT YOUR MIND
Good day to all of you. Now, would you care to greet me "good day" too? Yes, and in the polite way too, if you must. Oh, you can't do it? Is it because you'd rather text me "gUd Pm!" by way of your cellular phone, or drop me a friendly twit via Twitter or an offline PM through Yahoo Messenger? How sad! You sad little thing. You must have forgotten the fringe benefits of going through the personal exchange of greeting in your relationships (besides passing English IV).
Admit it. The English and Filipino vernaculars are becoming ugly barnacles. Enough words have been "coined" today to even say in the least that they are worth a coin to hear. To add insult to injury, more and more of these words are used by teenagers today as part of their language. What happened to the days when a "Good morning!" earned you a show of praise from everyone around you? Lately, it's quite the fad to twist "Good" to "gUd", "I have to leave" to "gtg" or "go na meh", or even "I adore you" to "I luv u! mwah mwah!" Indeed, these greetings have become a sign of the times, and if you are part of "the times," den u'd $1mPli B cA$t oWt 4 n0t F1t1ng n.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
FACELESS JUDAH BEN HUR
Learning English as a second language demands mastery of the four macro skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Of these four skills, I believe that speaking is the most challenging to master. I further believe though that writing well makes speaking a lot easier. Being secondary learners of the language, speaking well before writing comes with too much practice and experience. We just don't have that much experience conversing in English. Speaking well, however, may come from writing very well. One of the reasons why we don't want to speak in English is lack of confidence that we have mastered English structurally. When we can write well, it follows that we know the structure and the meaning of the English language.
We usually fail to learn well the structure of the English language because we lack the much needed confidence to learn it. We have reached fourth year high school sans belief of our capability of learning the structure of the English language - that it is not as confusing as what of us mostly believe. Could this have been caused by wrong instruction by English teachers before who were not confident teaching the language? This lack of faith may have rubbed off among the students that only a few really know the structure of the language confidently well. Lack of strong faith in one's ability to grasp the meaning and structure of the language, therefore, deters functional use of English.
By strange fate, the gentlemen are not at all gentle in their functional understanding of the English language. Could it be in the genes that only a few men like English? Immature men (a.k.a. children) hate English. They always think English has to have them twist their tongues to pronounce words clearly. They fail to understand that speaking the language and communication for understanding demand clear articulation. Strangely, because of how atrophied men's brain have come to be, they fail to comprehend that global issues are resolved and business deals sealed using English as the medium of communication. Fatefully strange, this seemingly brainless logic perpetuated by moronic Adams contributes to our failure of fully appreciating the function of the English language.
Lastly, men's stark abhorrence to anything less manly makes them look more like apes than humans. Why hate the English language which has moved men to fight for freedom after King? Why such hate to a language which has catapulted so many men to glorious victories as it did to Churchill? After Romulo in the United Nations, the Philippines has never again a nameless spot in the world map. It was MacArthur's well-meant promise to return that gave us all hope to a better Philippines. All these done in English, the language men oh-so-hate. In English, all these men communicated their ideas. Why hate so much the language that has freed us from all the bondage of ignorance, oppression and pain? Have we regressed and have grown tails already? Have we become monkeys now?
When we cannot seem to sketch who Judah Ben Hur is, weaving words of the English language, chances are we are either monkeys or apes, not humans at all. Humans have faith in themselves. Man always has faith that he can learn. By fate and not strangely, both men and women are endowed with innate capacities to learn, enough gray matter for more complex intelligence. Apes are not as intelligent as we are. We are also supposed to be appreciative, not full of hate. We are more civilized than monkeys that if the latter race is capable of appreciating, how much more are we? If still we cannot sketch Judah Ben Hur, then we might as well be caged with the monkeys, or better free the monkeys and have us aping instead. Long live the monkeys!
Friday, September 11, 2009
HONOR AND THE WISDOM IN FAILURE
Honor is given to somebody who has done something extraordinarily heroic. Honor is such an expensive commodity, it cannot be bought. It can only be earned with time and sacrifice. Many have tried winning honor only to gain one after being six feet buried underground. A few good men risked not only their lives but that of their love ones gaining honor for the family name to outlive history. Some young people won theirs through hard work, positive mind set, and sheer dedication. Such a simple word can only be realized through sweat, tears and blood. Whoever gains one becomes honorable and is always worthy of such an accolade.
Today we bestow honor to exactly 40 high school students who excelled in academics. The honorees are young ladies and gentlemen who have done extraordinary deeds. They are our students who went beyond what others expected of them. They are our students who lived with excellence in mind. They will be our future leaders who are willing to sacrifice, willing to suffer and work hard for the common good of us all. They are the sons and daughters of proud parents. They are our honorees who lived up to the values of unquestionable integrity, strict discipline, cunning resourcefulness and utmost competence. In one word, excellence.
However, a greater and harder challenge comes along with the honor that our students gained today. A trust that this honor bestows upon the student should be upheld. This calls for even more sacrifice - choosing the pain of one's continued pursuit for excellence over the luxury of senseless comfort. These students have to forgo painting the town red on weekends. They have to study to learn more and deserve another honor the second time around. Burning midnight candles becomes campfires should they decide to gobble books by the dozens. This does not mean though that failing and failures will demean the honor they have earned so well. The most honorable act to do sometimes is the most painful - failing for once and rise up to excel to honorable heights again.
Monday, September 7, 2009
UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING
Before the 1950's educators all over the world are confused what really is understanding. They cannot agree on one definition for such a definition may either be too broad or narrow as to understand what understanding really is. To shed light to this confusion, Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues proposed six levels of understanding: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Until today, this classification has been of great help clarifying what is really understanding. In Bloom's taxonomy, the first three levels are considered of low order thinking; the second three are of high order thinking. Krathwohl made some modifications of Bloom's taxonomy; however, the different levels stay with slight modifications. This taxonomy of thinking skills has shed some light to the confusion of what is understanding. Unfortunately, so many educators today do not really know what is understanding and how is it taught to the students.
As I was checking the reports cards for the high school students, I observed a pattern. Most of our senior students have low grades in Science, Math and English. How come our students fare low in these subjects compared with the others? In English IV, I exhaust all possible means to make my assessment valid. I also check long exams for both Science and Math. I am sure they are valid too. However, because grades of students are low, it may follow that there is minimal transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the students. Understanding is transfer of knowledge, not just mere recall of facts. Science, Math and English are subjects whose measure for understanding cannot only be gauged by memory recall during tests. Assessing understanding of these three subjects goes beyond the multiple choice, identification and matching type tests. Other evidences of learning beyond the usual test in the classroom are needed. Are our students unable to perform tasks that use concepts learned from these subjects?
In the case of English, I always assess learning based on how well the students perform the task I asked them to do. Performing authentic and realistic tasks that require skills learned in English best measures understanding of the subject. These tasks are not linear nor simple. They demand complex interplay of several skills which really tells me that knowledge transfer indeed has taken place. This understanding (i.e. knowledge transfer) as measured by authentic task performance has six facets. I know there is understanding when the students can explain, can interpret, can apply, can emphatize, and have perspective and self-knowledge. Let me take my first grading authentic task as an example. My first major requirement in English IV is a critical analysis.
The critical analysis is an individual task which requires students to write a critique of a story/motion picture with the elements of fiction as framework. To complete the task, they have to view purposively the movie, apply what they have learned about writing simple but effective sentences, and appraise the story on its elements. While viewing the movie, they are to analyze the elements of the story based on literary aesthetics. They are, therefore, required to read information with regards to aesthetic standards for short stories and for motion pictures. The critique is to be written in simple grammatically correct sentences. The students are expected to organize their thoughts in coherent paragraphs through effective use of conjunctions for transitions of ideas. This task is apparently not simple. It demands three of the four macro skills in English.
To perform the task successfully the student needs skills in listening, reading and writing. Unfortunately, most students thought that learning is best assessed by quizzes and long tests. In English IV, this is not the case. I believe that no objective test can approximate how much knowledge has been transferred to the students. It is only performance tasking that can best reflect understanding of English. I know a student understands if he can explain what the story is all about. He should also be able to interpret the story in terms of enduring learning. I also know he understands English if he can apply all the rules of composition in writing the critique. Does he see the bigger picture of what he is doing? Is he aware of his limitations in terms of doing the critique? These are some of the indicators that a student has understood the concepts and skills in the first quarter. When one is not able to write a critique well, it is safe to conclude that he has limited understanding of English in the first grading period.
I have always been known to give low grades. No, I do not. The grades the students get are numerical reflections of how much (or in some cases, how little) they have understood English IV. The students themselves determine their own grades. I was merely facilitating understanding of the English language and the transfer of knowledge from me to them. When students are not able to manifest the six facets of understanding which are what I was looking for, no learning has taken place, no knowledge transfer happened. This absence or limited learning is reflected in the students' grades. I do look for other evidences of understanding such as quizzes, tests and class recitations. However, I do not believe that understanding can be best measured by paper and pencil test or simply by reciting in class. All three are simplistic view of a complex process of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, which is English.
I am not hard to please, but a student has to prove to me his understanding of English IV. I give perfect scores of 100. There were lots of them last grading period. I can be cruel though and give a student a zero only to be kind and make him understand that he has limited understanding of the subject. If a student feels sad because he fails in my subject, he should have reflected why. If he continues to deny his failure, he has no self-knowledge, so he deserves to fail. If after introspection, he realizes the reasons why he failed, he deserves another chance at redeeming himself, but not this time - maybe next grading period but only if he will manifest understanding of the subject I am trying for him to understand.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
THE "TAYTAYAN CONTROVERSY"
This is Carla Jerezon's essay for the first unit test of the second quarter (the best answer submitted). It is simple and short but is the enduring understanding everyone must have learned about the unit. Her essay is composed of paragraphs developed by comparison and contrast, point by point type.Opinion is always different from fact. Opinion is a notion of a single person; fact is a notion of everybody. Opinion may be true to a person; fact is always true to a person. Opinion is always backed-up with evidences; fact is an evidence per se. That is why opinion is always distinguisahable from fact.
Opinion is always different from fact. It is by this very fact that I have come to accept and forget the message of the letter sent to Taytayan. The letter is only the opinion of a concerned citizen in this municipality; it is not the opinion of everybody. It may be true to that citizen; it is not always true to evrybody. It may be backed-up with evidences; it doesn't make its general idea an evidence. The letter, therefore, is an opinion that can be considered true to someone, but is not true to me. So, why should I be bothered?
Opinion is always different from fact. The idea that was stated in the letter is the notion of the sender, not the notion of everybody. It may be true to some, but it is not true to all. It may have all the evidences to prove that the idea is correct, but it doesn't make it true. That is why I have come to accept and forget the message of the letter. It's not a problem with me at all.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
I DARE YOU TO FAIL
"Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere." Barack ObamaI have been teaching for 11 years. I was able to teach several subjects already: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Technology and Livelihood Education, Computer, Christian Living and English. Every time I am assigned to teach a subject I give my best. I decline to teach if I do not know the subject, or that I cannot study and learn it. In all cases, however, I am knowledgeable of the subjects I teach. I have special fondness for English though, and this is what I can teach the best of all. To prepare me more, I took short courses on teaching English as a second language. I attended several seminars and updating on teaching strategies for English. I read a lot and invested on good books for both content and teaching strategies for English as a foreign language. In all of these things I have done, I learned that English as a second language should be taught with the end result of the student being able to communicate - the transactional function of the language. Structure and meaning are important but the function should be better emphasized. This is always in my mind whenever I am teaching English to the seniors.
There are four macro skills to learn in English as a language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each of this macro skill has several minor skills under it which every student in English has to master. This is specially important if the student is in his senior year in high school. Senior English is mastery of all the basic skills in English as a second (ESL) or foreign (EFL) language. A fourth year high school student, therefore, must have mastered almost all the skills. The only exception is formal scientific research, which in the DepEd list of learning competencies is still to be taken up in the last year of high school. I am not expecting my fourth year English students to be able to write a good research paper. They are still to learn it this year. However, I am expecting them to be able to listen analytically and appreciatively to almost anything. I am also expecting them to transact business orally in English, classroom recitation included. I am also expecting each one of them to be able to write a decent three-paragraph composition. Over and above the three is reading comprehension. I am expecting all the seniors to be able to read beyond the lines. These are my minimum expectations before any of my English IV student can have a good grade.
Whoever fails, therefore, in my subject is being challenged to prove to me that he is worthy to be a senior student. There are students who failed already. Let the failure be a challenge to those who failed. Self-knowledge is in order here. Any student who failed must go into deep introspection and discover why. He should ask, "Why did I fail? Which skills have I not mastered that is why I did not get a passing mark for the first grading period?" The process of getting down to the roots of one's failure is an utmost exercise of humility. Do I really need to learn some more? What else are expected of me? Have I been idle and wasting time instead of studying my lessons? One cannot keep on blaming what has not been done in the previous years, which ought to have been mastered already as of fourth year. Clearly, it is one's own fault now why the minimum skills for English IV have not been mastered yet. Know why because it is and it will not ever be late to re-study what has not been understood very well. It will not ever be late at all to restart even from scratch. Time and effort will only be wasted if one continues to believe and have a false assurance that he knows his English only because the English IV teacher did not fail the obviously erring but pitiful student.
Friday, September 4, 2009
A CHAT WITH MY FORMER STUDENT
Cyke_09: btaw dok, salamat sad kaayo sa mga advice nimo sa unacarlo_bejarasco: wa na sapayan
carlo_bejarasco: lipay lang ko ba kay imo na hinayhinay nakuha imo gusto
cyke_09: daghan jud kaayo mga students dha dok nga ikaw ang nahimong inspiration
carlo_bejarasco: salamat, but if not for your own hard work and theirs, di man pod jud nato maabot ato gusto
cyke_09: mao lagi dok
Because his family does not want him to work abroad, Cyke has to finance himself in order to go to New Zealand. Long before I have also known that this young man from Cawayan would not allow anybody or anything gets in his way. One could very well see this when he played basketball, which he was so good at. He had lofty dreams too. He wanted to lead, and won as the SK Chairman. He loved to dress himself up and kept himself in good shape. He was asked to model men's apparel when at the same time studying in college. I knew nothing can stop this guy. True enough and little by little he now enjoys the fruit of his hard labor and sacrifies.
carlo_bejarasco: mao lang jud na ako gusto nimo. wala ka pailad diri sa dalaguet
cyke_09: pro ang imong guidance dok importante sad gyud kaayo
I was humbled so much that despite what Cyke has achieved now, he still credited eveything to what SMA and the teachers have taught him. I made it clear to him that we were just doing our work. A lot has heard the same advice I gave him, but not all his classmates are as successful as he is now. The same humility that has humbled us has brought Cyke to where he is now. He still continued to ask advice from me and this has so inspired me to keep going on with life. This despite all the problems I have both in school and outside. Here is a man who knows how to look back where he has been once. Here is a man who knows so well whom he has indebted much. Here is a man who SMA can be so proud to call one of her own...one of a kind!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE FROM TWO GENTLEMEN
When push comes to shove and jostles man against the wall, expect him to push back. This is not to prove that the Newtonian dynamics of action-reaction is correct. It is just man's basic instinct to prove his worth. Two of my students - gentlemen at that - showed me this reality and proved once and for all that indeed they can write. I always believe that men do not like to write. If they do, whatever they write is surely something very good. I also believe that men who can write very well are intelligent and very mature with life. Because men mature later than women, any 16-year old guy who croons his heart out to paper, surely is mature, a good shoulder to cry on and a perfect friend to have around.When Klaus sat down with me this afternoon to have his work checked, I was very happy. He shattered what I have long dreaded. (He knows this one already.) Because all the essays he submitted were good in terms of content, organization and mechanics, I thought he did not write them. Looking at this fine German lad, I cannot imagine that he is so deep emotionally. His face always betrays both his thoughts and feelings; I was not just sure whether the essays I have read were his. I have apologized to Klaus this afternoon. Indeed this young man can write very well given the right opportunity and the hard push.
The other gentleman is Scottie. Pipen also impressed me with his first quarter project. It is one of the best from the gentlemen. Forgive me of the bias, but I also did not think of Scottie when I was reading his essay. It was just to good, too mature from a gentleman. However, when he asked me to go through his personal philosophy this afternoon, I was blown away. Here is a guy who does not only know his grammar but also what he is talking about, and he talks about it suavely that his thoughts flowed smoothly, effortlessly like cold knife in a butter. Nice...so nice that I was so inspired to strive more in teaching these men and all my students. I owed so much from both gentlemen.
As I confronted Klaus and asked him to tell me the truth, his soulful eyes spoke of so much sincerity and honesty. I was so ashamed with myself for underestimating the talent of this guy. What was unbelievable at first was the intensity of emotion he puts in his words that putting them together is an explosion of myriad of feelings. How can a seemingly innocent nonchalant boy can be so profound with his thoughts and emotions? His soft voice betrays his passion for words. Scottie, on the other hand, humbled me with his admission that he was just following what I told him to do that is why he is able to weave ordinary words smoothly into magical paragraphs. When one reads his work, what is very clear is the very smooth flow of thoughts. There seems to be no sentence that is out of place. Every word seems to be in the right place to breath life to paper of what is in his mind. If he was just following what I told him to do, then he is already a leader to me.
I always consider men who can write intelligent. I do not know what to call of Klaus and Scottie. They are more than intelligent. What really struck me is the depth of emotion both their written works elicited from the reader. Their words and how they put them together into sentences to build paragraphs are poetry in motion. The graceful flow of thoughts reminds the reader that deep within the hearts of these two lads are mature men all ready to face the real world - men who already have realized what life is to be for them and how they have to live it. If a boy can write like a man, he should have been through so many of life's happy and sad experiences. These experiences are what Klaus and Scottie have been through, and when they open their hearts and start writing what they truly feel of life, I cannot help but be inspired of how much about life these two men know. At 16 years old, my deep appreciation of how so good a gentleman the two of you have become. Sitting with you two this afternoon has really made my day! Again...my apology.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
LAMENTATIONS ON ONE MOONLIT NIGHT
I was not happy this afternoon. It has something to do with how I dismally failed with my lesson about knowing oneself and the directions to take in life. I have decided that for two weeks I would devote my lessons in English to this enduring understanding that knowledge of oneself is needed to succeed in life. Last week, we talked about Bertrand Russel's passion in life and how his passions helped him shaped to who he has become later in life. This week, I intend to talk about Oedipus, the King and guide my students to understanding deeper that one's knowledge of self is important in life. I have carefully chosen both extraordinary literary works (an autobiographical essay and a tragedy) by equally extraordinary writers to present this enduring understanding to my students - that self-knowledge is important to success or failure in life. For Oedipus, the King I was so meticulous with the learning plan that it took me almost two days to prepare an hour's lesson. Still, I failed and I was so sad.
The way I teach English to my students always starts with identification of my desired result for them (i.e. my students). For both What I Have Lived For and Oedipus, the King, my desired result is for my students to realize how important self-knowledge is for one's future. Unfortunately, most students see English as plain grammar and not at all something about life. Life to them is taught only in Christian Living. Because we also took up relative clauses last week, it didn't mean that Russel's autobiographical essay was all about the non-restrictive and the restrictive clauses only. The lesson on clauses may be forgotten, but because I asked my students to write some sort of a reflection on their respective personal philosophies, I hope that partly I will be able to have touched their hearts that I am not only teaching them English. I am really teaching them life and how to live it. I hope I won't be disappointed this Friday. I told my students to submit their personal reflections on that day.
After identifying the desired result, the next thing I do is determine what will I ask from my students so that I will be able to see that they have understood the deeper understanding I would have wanted them to realize. In this case, self-knowledge is important in one's future. After discussing Russel's philosophy and Oedipus' tragic fate, I wanted my students to be able to reflect the bigger picture that in both selections man's future has been greatly affected by his self-knowledge. I, therefore, asked them to write a reflection on their own personal philosophies - what they believe about life and how these beliefs have governed their day to day existence. If they will be able to write a good reflection, then I will be happy because my desired result has been accomplished. I will be happier, however, if my students will be able to use correctly relative clauses in their reflections, which by the way I have also asked them to do. The requirement for Friday is not to make my students' lives difficult...but unfortunately, that is what most seniors think about me, making lives difficult. So sad, very sad.
After identifying the desired result I want to see in my students and determining the task to assess their understanding about it, my next move is to prepare my lesson. For my students to appreciate self-knowledge, I have decided to talk about Russel's essay and Sophocles' Oedipus. Though both works seem to be contradictory, they mean the same. The theme for both revolves around knowing more oneself. For Oedipus, I prepared very well. I even took extra effort to assign ahead what my students are supposed to prepare - read and research - about this great tragedy by Sophocles. This afternoon, however, it was very clear that they did not do their part of the bargain. It was quite unfair when only the teacher prepares well for the class interaction, or was it really an interaction this afternoon? I thought I was giving a dramatic monologue complete with all the pleading that they (my students) would also prepare for class. If I have prepared well for all my lessons, I deserve too that my students should be even more prepared than I am taking into consideration that they have more to learn than I do. Obviously, my seniors still have not understood this.
I was thinking, "What if I will not at all prepare my lesson?" I will just hold on to the book and read whatever is there, in front of my students. I think this looks more appealing to them. The problem with this approach though is that understanding would be so shallow. What the students will learn is what was only written in the book. Get rid of the book and the students do not remember anything anymore. The idea is supposed to teach them beyond what is in the book. Subject-verb agreement cannot feed a hungry mouth nor relative clauses can heal a broken relationship. These are some of the minor things students have to learn in English. Life. They are supposed to learn about life in English IV. Sadly, they did not or do not or will not or refuse to understand so. Whenever I get to interact with my senior students, I am not just an English teacher. I am more of a person wanting to share what I have been through with life, what I have understood about it. Sadly, I fail. So sadly, I fail...
I am now beginning to think that I am not really a good teacher. I failed to motivate my students to be passionate about the subject. I failed to make them understand my real purpose for teaching the subject. I failed to make them see how different literary works by great authors reflect life. I only succeeded in making my seniors' lives more difficult that they no longer have time to waste. I only succeeded in confusing them which belabored their brains to think. I only succeeded in making their parents sad because I failed them for understanding so little about the subject. I only succeed in wasting their hard earned money to pay for my meager salary. I failed in so many things good. I succeeded only in things bad. I failed. How dismally have I failed!