Monday, July 18, 2005

Our house, is a very very fine house!

I was invited by Teacher Sol to join and be a core member in a recently formed group of teachers who will write, discuss, share with one another, tales and tips about education and teaching per se. How can one deny such a request?

As you may well know by now, I am a Fine Arts graduate and had no teaching experience when I first began teaching. Needless to say that I had to learn things the hard way. I would hear buzzwords in education which sounded Greek to me and although it was really humiliating, I had to ask around for meanings. Ex. I didn't even know what a syllabus looked like. Hence, when I was asked to design my syllabus, I had to ask for a copy of the old one so that I can see what were supposed to be written there and use it as a template.

Now that there is this group of pinoy teachers, hopefully, we would be able to reach out and answer some questions other teachers have, affirm decisions, and correct what's wrong with the loose ends in teaching through a lengthy discussion.

Officially launched last Tuesday, July 12, the pinoy teachers blog has been in cyberspace since July 8 to advertise the group. I had posted my first entry How can a teacher be a happy camper which tackles the duties and responsibilities of teachers and their consequent legal liabilities towards their wards. This is an old post of mine here but I thought many would benefit from it, hence, the reason for its reposting in another venue.


So, if you are a teacher reading this entry, why don't you try and see for yourself what is in store for you. Joining is easy! Just click the button below:



alt="Click here to join pinoyteachersnetwork">
Click to join pinoyteachersnetwork

Friday, July 15, 2005

Happy Birthday Kim

My little angel, and I mean it literally (you choose if it's the little or the angel part hehe or both) is celebrating her 16th birthday today. I've told a lot of funny stories about her in this blog. You can read about them here, here and here.

My little angel is my third child, and youngest daughter. She is by far the sweetest among the four children that I have. She still hugs me tight and kisses me in public. I dread the day when she no longer wants to do that like her ate. Not that I am complaining but what parent would deny that a child's kisses and hugs are more than enough to take away ones worries. Works everytime, folks. I dread the day when my kids will all be grown-ups and old enough to face this uncertain world we live in. Somehow, I cherish the thought that they depend on me and my wife. I'm not fearful that they might be stepped on for my wife and I try to raise them to be fighters, not arrogant and aggressive but humble and yet assertive. We try to raise them to be independent and I think we are succeeding. Even when they were a lot younger, we would let them go to the counter in a MacDonald or Jollibee outlet, buy whatever they liked and come back with their purchase. We would le them wander in malls while we watched at the sides or sometimes give them instructions where we would meet them. Now that is a luxury rich people will never have. They'd always be worried that their children might be kidnapped. hehe

Anyway, Kim is articulate (maarte na makulit pa), speaks her mind without being rude, and is her own person. I don't doubt that she will go places as she is very determined. I've been pushing her to study hard and when she does, she gets good grades. If only she'd be consistent with her studies. At any rate, I love her very much as she's my guardian angel. Always nagging me about my smoking. Sadly, I have not kicked the habit totally. Not just yet. At any rate, Happy birthday my darling angel. Your family loves you very much.

Monday, July 11, 2005

CBCP has spoken

With the death of Cardinal Jaime Sin who had, on at least two occasions, called for the Filipino people to gather in EDSA to express their anger over the leaders of the government that led to the toppling of strongman, Ferdinand Marcos and President Estrada, the country had been eagerly awaiting what the Catholic church, a dominant religion in the country, has to say. Well, the Roman Catholic Bishops have spoken. In a statement read by outgoing CBCP president Fernando Capalla entitled "Restoring trust: A plea for moral values in Philippine politics" the Bishops have announced their stand on the issues confronting the President and the whole political system in the country today.
They said that the President should not dismiss the allegations against her suggesting that she: "discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe as to be irreversible." By saying this, the Bishops are appealing to the President to use her conscience, what I perceive to be the real "jusrisdiction" of the church.
In the same document, the Bishops expressly said that they are not for resignation. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted the Bishops thus: "We do not demand her resignation," One cannot be much clearer than that. However, in spite of this position taken by the leaders of the Catholic church, Bishop Bacani and the running priest, Father Reyes, have outspokenly stated their dismay over the statements made by the CBCP. Bishop Bacani even went farther by suggesting that some Bishops might have been spoken to by those in MalacaƱang.
Now this turn of events again puzzles me. I have been raised in a Catholic school from Elementary to a year of high school and is now teaching in one. I have always believed that the Catholic religion espouses obedience. I am sure that this is true within the hierarchy of the Church. The priests, after all, have agreed to a vow of obedience among others. iwonder what the implication of this open criticism of Bishop Bacani and Father Reyes, will have on the very institution they are supposed to belong. Surely, Bishop Bacani is a member of the CBCP and as such have expressed his opinion on the matter, even argued strongly for his beliefs. Clearly, with the statement read by Bishop Capalla, he was outvoted. In a scenario such as this, one should follow the decision of the majority for after all, "vox populi, vox Dei". What right has Bishop Bacani to express a dissenting opinion after his colleagues have taken a stand? What right does an ordinary priest in the hierarchy have to arrogate to himself the power to talk about something that is different from what his leaders are saying?

Lastly, I ahve always been taught that the Christian faith is about love and forgiveness. We are supposedly the only Christian dominated country in Asia, and as such, are the true representatives of what Christianity is all about. Where do we stand after the president's apology for having done something that may have been improper but is not really legal?

Read about the Bishops statement:
Philippine Star
Philippine Daily Inquirer