Sunday, August 15, 2004

The speech that never saw the light of day!

Yesterday, the Philippine Art Educators Association, (PAEA), conducted a seminar/workshop for its members in my school. As the name implies, it’s an organization of Art teachers in the Philippines. I have been a member of the organization for sometime but was never that active. Anyway, yesterday’s topic was about creativity.

I was asked by my former boss, the art coordinator, to give the welcoming remarks as she couldn’t give it herself as she had to attend her graduate studies at the UP. I prepared a speech thinking that I will be talking to a big number of people. However, maybe due to the inclement weather and the fact that our school is not that accessible, only a few showed up. Well, it was very intimate with only five people from other schools participating. Together with the teachers in my school plus the officers of the organization and the speakers, there were about twenty of us inside the lobby of the school’s theatre.

As it was very intimate, I decided to forego of my prepared speech and just welcomed everybody, introduced the teachers of the school so that they would know who to approach should they need assistance and thanked the organization and the speakers for coming over. I also decided to stay the whole time to give my support to those who attended. (I planned to supervise the cleaning of my room then go home afterwards.)

I am reproducing part of the speech I prepared here for safekeeping. One never knows when it might come handy. And besides, I can use feedback to improve this one. Here goes:


Good morning to all of you, colleagues.

It is very timely that today's workshop should be conducted in this institution. We are, at this point, intensifying our integration program knowing that each of the subjects being taught in school should re-enforce one another. But before I go on to the nitty-gritty and pre-empt today’s speakers, allow me to just share a few personal observations.

Undeniably, most schools today give emphasis on Math, Science and, to some extent, English subjects. These are the subjects perceived by many as the more important disciplines taught in school and yet, studies show that these are where Filipino students are deficient in as compared with their counterparts around the world. Hence we see schools strengthening these subjects in their curriculum to uplift students' performance in these areas. In the process, the Arts may once again be relegated to the background. Sadly for us Art teachers, if this trend continues, we may be seeing the brink of a total disinterest of academicians' of the arts. This should not be so for it would mean a collapse of our cultural fiber and loss of our soul as a nation.

Realizing the importance of the Art curriculum in learning, the Philippine Art Educators Association has come up with this workshop entitled “Art integration as a creative teaching strategy.” In so doing, PAEA aims to introduce innovative and creative strategies in teaching the art subject by incorporating elements and principles of the arts to different subject areas. I believe this is the right path we should travel in for we will learn to make the discipline suit the country's needs for individuals ready to address emerging problems brought about by technology, globalization and the socio-economic and political upheavals we are facing via education. By so doing, we make the art program more relevant in nation building and place the Arts in its proper perspective... Thank you and a pleasant and creative day ahead of us.

13 comments:

batjay said...

it's good that there is an art educator's association. ok yung speech, mas maganda kung tagalog para mas intimate. kaya lang that's coming from an OFW who misses his country. sana mag prosper yung art education sa pilipinas. sa tingin ko eh di sapat ang pagtuturo niyo. it's a pity really when all we're focused on is in math, science and all the other "relevant" nation building subjects.

sana tuloy tuloy ang art education bacause its really the arts that give us our soul.

Anonymous said...

Sana nandun ako para ako pala mo and may I Clap ako, db? :)

Btw, I do have a blog too since you encouraged me to.. the truth was, when blogging wasn't the "in" thing yet, I had one.. but I'm not sure you'd find what I say interesting enough.

Dr. Emer said...

Ang mga bayani ng bayan ay hindi lamang matalino sa siyensya at matematika. Sila ay magagaling na pintor, eskulptor, at manunulat. Lahat na ito ay nabibilang sa larangan ng sining.

Sa aking paniniwala, di mabubuhay at di dapat mabuhay ang tao kung wala siyang paghanga, pagkilala, at pagpapahalaga sa sining.

Mabuhay ka, Tito Rolly!

Anonymous said...

What Dr. Emer said :)

rolly said...

Batjay Oo nga ano? Bakit nga ba hindi ko ginawang tagalog yung speech. Hindi pa sana ko nahirapan. Ang hindi ko nasabi dun ay ang maling presumption ng marami na ang art ay puro lamang tungkol sa drawing at design. Hindi naman. Kasama nito dapat ang critical thinking, appreciation at iba pang bagay na importante sa mundo. Hayaan mo, next time, susubukan ko sa tagalog.

rolly said...

Anonymous 1 thanks for the applause. hehe. kalimutan mong mag-sign, hindi tuloy kita makilala.

Doc Emer Galing ng binitiwan mong salita. Di ba nung unang panahon, kasama sa mga tinatawag na intellectuals ang mga artists, di ba? Ngayon kasi ang concept natin ng art, pang decorate ng wall, ehehe.

anonymous 2 kulang yata yung post mo, hehehe/

jonix tama ka, na braso na naman ako. Hindi ko na nga siya boss e. La tayong magagawa, di ako dunong ng "just say no!" okay din naman, natututo akong magsalita sa harap ng tao. Lam mo namang mahiyain ako e.

Anonymous said...

tama kayo dun, di lang dapat sa math science and english mag-concentrate and curriculum. di ba may ibat ibang facets and intelligence ng isang tao? correct me if i'm wrong, i think seven yata yun - there's verbal, music, spatial, etc...kanya kanyang inclination lang yan, ika nga. dapat bigyang importansya ang arts.

Sassy Lawyer said...

"introduce innovative and creative strategies in teaching the art subject by incorporating elements and principles of the arts to different subject area"

Ah, how true. Just like the rest of the humanities subjects. Literature, language... they should be "applied" arts instead of art for the rest of art's sake.

Is it perhaps the trend towards strict specialization that led into the isolation of the different disciplines among each other? Specialists out to outdo each other in more ways than one like saying, hey, my field is superior to yours...

Anonymous said...

Tama ka talaga dyan Tito Rolly. Di mo man nai-deliver orally, I think the message is clear and since the program is in place I just wish for its success. Naniniwala din ako na ang bawat isa ay may kani-kanyang talino iba't-iba nga lang ang larangan. Kaya dapat ding ang bawat isa ay mabigyan ng pagkakataong magamit at mahasa ang kanyang talino at pagka malikhain.
- Santi

rolly said...

Mari You're correct. However, according to a seminar I attended, there are now more than seven. These are: 1. Linguistic intelligence 2. mathematical, 3. visual-spatial, 4. bodily kinesthetic, 5. musical, 6. interpersonal 7. intra-personal, 8. naturalist - designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations)

rolly said...

Bayi thanks for the vote of confidence. Hmm, the organization has been existing for a long time. I'll think about it, though.

Sassy I guess your correct. parang stereotyping no? I had encountered teachers, students and parents alike who have different notions of what education should be. Like Art lang yan! Or PE lang yan - no brainer subject... Why should one subject be superior over another, di ba? Pwede namang mag integrate.

Santi Sana everybody the same vision that you and the other commenters expressed in this entry.

E. S. de Montemayor said...

Maganda yung sinulat mo. The perfect speech for the perfect occasion. won't they be thunderstrucked? =)

great blog! plenty of good reads. must link you to mind too.

santi said...

Thanks Tito Rolly. Base sa mga nababasa kong mga comments dito sa site mo marami kang na-inspire na gumawa ng sarili nilang BLOG, pero siguro yong iba gustong-gusto lang kasing maging madali ang pag-comment nila dito sa mga entries mo (ha-ha-ha). You are doing a very good job, not only as a teacher, but as well as a BLOGger.