OF THE GARDEN OF ROSES

Knowing Myself Inside and Out

I grew up not with happy childhood memories. Fortunately, I was less affected by these haunting memories. However, there were times that these haunted me back. I should not have myself drowned by them. It has been my constant struggle to stay afloat. I would sometimes be so depressed that my feeling of doom stayed with me even for more than a week. Even if how I looked at things and circumstances positively, I would still be sad of these situations that I could hardly get out of them. I always ran away and never faced them squarely like a brave man that I should have been.

Until I met Julian. He started with a fable which took place in a garden. The garden according to him is my mind. If properly nurtured it could bloom in wondrous shades of color. In order for me to move on from my past, I have to change first my perception of things. There were just too many negative thoughts I am carrying between my shoulders. They have been wearing me out constantly and fast. I should control my mind before it will fully enslave me into oblivion.

There were three important things I have learned in the garden: focus on the heart of the rose, think in opposition and see myself clearly in a glass lake. I have to exercise my control over my mind. I should not let the external environment rob me of my clear thinking. I should see deeper more than just the rose bloom. If, however, negative thoughts and feelings start to overwhelm me, I have to think in opposition of these thoughts and feelings. See things in different angle, clear my perspective. Lastly, I should not forget to look at my reflections in the glass lake. These are reflections of my dreams - not who I was before, but who I am today and how great I can be in the future.

SYLLABUS, SYLLABI, ALIBI...GOOD BYE

Praise the Good Teachers

We are on the second day of re-engineering our curricular offerings both in grade school and high school. We have been doing this for quite a while. It was however only this school year that we have become zealous of it. I believe that a good teacher should come with a functional discipline curriculum which is manifested tangibly by the syllabus. Most of the seasoned teachers have understood the necessity of good planning and well-thought syllabi. The younger teachers also thought the same. Sadly, others feel otherwise.

Some new teachers did not join us for this morning's brain-wracking curriculum re-engineering exercise. I appreciated those who arrived earlier than 8 - I arrived 5 minutes later. The air conditioning system was on its way humming cold when I entered the computer laboratory. Some teachers were already in front the computers coding their new syllabi. I was happy. As minutes passed by, I have come to conclusion that other teachers would not be coming. I was disappointed because these were the teachers who have not done anything yet nor were serious of what we were doing. During the yearend evaluation, they did not get a good rating from me. The school was compassionate though to give them one more year. However, good bye would have been better.

Saying it is hard to prepare the syllabus because the process was only partly taught in college is not even an alibi. It is downright self-denial of one's authentic self. When a teacher does not know who he is, what his duties are, that person does not belong in school, and actually cannot claim to be a teacher. There are so many teacher graduates who were trained to become teachers but lack the attitude of a real teacher. I have seen so many, and this has more than saddened me. I was alarmed that there are people who are like them, and are actually in school supposed to be mentoring young minds. No wonder education in our country is going down the drain. The only consolation I had later today was when three of my former students visited us. They were not the best minds we had, but they turned out to be excellent in their chosen degree programs. We have had prepared excellent syllabi before, therefore.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?

Flores de Mayo as it is no longer as it was

I first learn God and the story of creation, and all that are in the Bible from my Lola Erang. She's not my grandmother actually; she is my aunt. When I was around eight years old, I attended her catechism classes done every May. In these classes, school age children were taught basic Christian prayers in preparation for the first communion, which usually happened by the end of this merry month. I could still remember going to the church after each class, joining other children in honoring the Blessed Mother in a month-long prayer known as the Flores de Mayo. After the mass, we then formed lines to receive attendance tabs which we exchanged for school supplies on day of our first communion. I missed those days not for the fun of them, but today, simply for its significance to my life as an adult.

This afternoon I attended again the Flores de Mayo. For many years now, I have observed that children who attended the novena became less and less. I was so sad today because there were even more beatas than children inside the church. I was consoled though because I saw some of my students there. They were volunteer cathechists. I wanted to ask what happened to the children. Where have all the children gone? I hesitated because I knew they could not also provide me with an answer. It was beyond theirs. It was even way beyond those people inside the church this afternoon. A lot of probable answers danced in my mind. All of them realizations of how much the older generation have taken for granted this significant event in a child's life - the Flores de Mayo and the memories that come with it.

This afternoon was the only afternoon again that I joined other children for the Flores de Mayo. Have I been too engrossed with life and the illusion that comes with living that I failed to go back to my authentic child self? When I was young, I believed that life was to be enjoyed and that life had nothing but happiness to offer us all. It was when I started going againt this law of nature that I started to suffer pain. I went against what nature has long wanted me to be, to believe. I envied the children this afternoon, all smiles waving their lithe armes on air with flowers clasped on hand. Theirs were smile of utter innocence, of that childhood belief that life is beautiful...but there were only few of them and I was not even one.

STOP RECYCLE AND BE HAPPY

From the Monk who Sold His Ferrari

Two years ago, I was an angry man. There were just too many bad things I could not handle in my life. At work, I was not at all happy but a tired employee. I found everyone around me difficult to deal with. When I went back home in the afternoon from work, there were just too many painful memories that kept on coming back. Personally, I was so down. I did not really know what hit me then. Writing on this blog has helped me through those very bad days.

Now I know, I was before caught in a moment of recycle. From Julian Mantle, I learned that I was born destined to be a success - that I was born with all the faculties and abilities to succeed life and be contented with it. However, and unfortunately I became a victim of the world of conformity. I follow the whims of the crowd, and soon learned that the world at all is not perfect. It is perfect, but men deluded themselves and believed otherwise.

All the problems that I resisted to face returned to haunt me even more in a concerted nightmare. All these sad events started as small, surmountable challenges. Because I resisted and denied that I was part of the problem - its main orchestrator - they recycled themselves only to haunt me frighteningly more. If only I have faced the problems before squarely, they would not have come back. I did not understand before that sad experiences present themselves to make us learn from them. I blamed everyone but myself, and this has caused me much trouble before.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND TEACHING STRATEGIES

Three Memorable Days with Ma'am Ampy

The three RVM schools in Cebu Cluster - SMA Dalaguete, SMA Oslob and IKA Jimalalud - gathered together in our school for an updating on classroom management and teaching strategies. We were with Ma'am Amparo Valdez of the Ateneo Grade School Dept. The experience was well-worth the time we spent away from home especially the teachers from Negros.

Mrs. Amparo Valdez, our faciltator in action.

All ears are to Ma'am Ampy.

The teachers brainstorming on what common classroom problem to put into "rules"

Ma'am Ampy critiquing our work on "Classroom Rules"

Presentation of the output after "Round Table" strategy

FOR DESIRE OF ORDER

Formulating Classroom Procedures

I know I have not been so regular in posting entries. I still love to put into writing my thoughts - mostly my pain. It's just that this year has not been as bad as before. There were still rough roads along the way but not as bad as before. My work as HS principal has even become more difficult, more demanding. However, I am more focused now and do not dwell on the negative vibes. Today, we were done revisiting our classroom procedures. For the desire of order, we have to be very clear of our classroom SOPs. We have to make these clear to the students on the first day of class because we mean business - really!

The HS and GS faculty members joined together today and met for this noble endeavour. We were able to rewrite 15 very important classroom routine procedures that need to be understood by heart among our students. Here are some of them:

ROUTINE PROCEDURE FOR STARTING THE CLASS
1. Stand for the prayer.
2. Greet the teacher; wait for the response.
3. Align the chairs and pick up pieces of trash and then sit down quietly.
4. The class beadle reports the attendance of the day. The teacher acknowledges the report.
5. Listen and participate well in the discussion.
6. Once the discussion has ended, keep all things away and be ready for the prayer.
7. Remain seated and silently wait for the next subject teacher.

PROCEDURE FOR CLEANING THE ROOM AFTER CLASS
1. Once your classmates are out, the RT prepares to clean the room.
2. Erase the writings on the board, wipe the chalk ledge and get rid the back of the board of unnecessary things (books, notebooks, etc).
3. The girls start sweeping from front to back; the boys alternately move the chairs by row.
4. The girls continue sweeping outside as the boys arrange back the chairs.
5. Prepare the board for the next day by wiping it with damp cloth.
6. Empty the garbage bins, clean it, and place it back in the classroom.

PROCEDURE FOR LEAVING THE ROOM TO GO HOME
1. Stand and prepare for the dismissal prayer.
2. The person closest to the door will go out first by row. The first three rows will go out first by the front door; the remaining rows will go out next at the back door.

PROCEDURE FOR FORMATION FOR THE FLAG CEREMONY
1. Once the bell rings, proceed right away to the assigned place for the section.
2. With the cue from the Sgt. at Arms, arrange yourselves alternately into four columns, two for ladies, two for boys.
3. Listen to announcements and wait for the prayer leader to begin.
4. Join the community in praying and then...
5. Sing the National Anthem well. Stand on both feet, and place your right hand over your left chest.
6. During the oath, raise your right hand forming right angle with the body.
7. Refrain from making unnecessary movements and listen to the Gospel of the day.
8. Keep quiet and reflect on the Gospel, placing your hands clasped together in front of your chest.

PROCEDURE FOR GETTING BACK INSIDE THE CLASSROOM
1. After the Gospel reflection, listen to the cue of the teacher manager to go back to the classroom.
2. In single file and with your hands clasped over the epigastrium, bow your heads and start moving back silently to the classroom.
3. Once inside the classroom, remain standing by your seat, wait for the teacher to cue for the prayer.
4. Take your seat quietly after the prayer and the greeting, and prepare yourself for the class.

CAMIGUIN...AN ISLAND BORNE OF FIRE

Summer Perks...Thanks to UbD

You were not in Camiguin until you had been to the White Island, actually a sand bar off Mambajao. We went there early to catch the sun, not to burn under it

In background is Mt. Hibok-hibok as seen from the "Island"

'Can't help but jump with joy

I did not miss to take a dip

My first side trip - Katibawasan Falls in Mambajao, Camiguin

Site of the Panaad, a cross-province Lenten observance

Purportedly this is an underwater graveyard, the Sunken Cemetery

16th Century Church Ruins at Guiob, Bonbon, Catarman

Soda Swimming Pool at Catarman, Camiguin

"Tres Marias" - a cluster of volcanoes in Catarman

Sto. Nino Cold Spring still in Catarman, Camiguin

At Fishpen, a restaurant by the lagoon in Mahinog, Camiguin

RSM Sisters tendered dinner for my last night in Camiguin

SUMMER PERKS...THANKS TO UBD

A Day inside Del Monte Philippines

The farm has a secondary hospital too.

Pineapple farms stretch as far as the eyes can see.

DMPI Clubhouse...feelin' rich

May golf course pa! Grabe, sarap doon tumira.Para 'kong si Tiger Woods

The bowling lanes...state of the art AMF

It also has a mini gym with complete amenities.

Conifers...yes, in Bukidnon

An eco-village resort...fascinating

Important persons allowed me to get closer to the DMPI packing facility