Kota Kinabalu: A Land So Close and Yet So Far

          A week ago, I flew to Kota Kinabalu heading a delegation of eight students with the Science Coordinator on a cultural exchange visit with De La Salle Secondary School that started in 2009. Not knowing what to expect and ever hopeful to gain a very good experience from the trip, I eagerly waited for the delegates to arrive at the airport reading a book.  We were told that we shall be welcomed by Mr. Safri and Mr. Jong but never expected they will be accompanied by a fleet of alumni and students.

         Kota Kinabalu is an urbanized city that belongs to Sabah, the western part of Malaysia.  Formerly known as Jesselton, the name Kota Kinabalu comes from the Dusun words Kota for city or fort and Kinabalu, a compound word that joins Ki meaning to have or exist and Nabalu for spirit of the dead.  The term spirit of the dead, as eerie as it might sound, may no longer be appropriate for the city is bustling and very much alive.

         Having been to Kuala Lumpur on two occasions, it has always been a wonder to me how three ethnicities, Chinese, Malay and Indians, can live peacefully together  only to find out that Kota is populated by even more than a number of different ethnicities other than the three.  These include Bajaus, Kadazan-Dusun, Bruneian Malays, Bumiputras, and Muruts, to name a few.  It is quite a wonder how these people, in spite of their difference in lineage, culture and religion, have learned to live together in peace under one flag and one nation. 

         Kota Kinabalu is a land that is so close and yet so far from home in so many levels – geography, history, culture, and so much more.   In terms of geography, Kota is so near to the Philippines that it will take only a few hours by boat either from Palawan or down south of Mindanao to get to it. About 1 and 45 minutes by plane from Manila to its airport,  Kota Kinabalu is by far the closest to us geographically.  As such, it is no surprise that our ancestors arrived in our land via boats from these shores and Indonesia. This being the case, there are several words shared by both languages albeit some deviations.  Masuk, for example, is the same as the Tagalog word pasok for enter.  Manuk is the same as our manok for chicken, nasi, although such is only true for the Kapampangans, who use the same word for rice.  Bawang, on the other hand is onion to them while it is garlic to us.  Of course, make that bawang putih and it would mean garlic, too.    There are other words which a Fillipino can pick-up as being the same but sometimes could mean another that one can chuckle thinking that our ancestors might have messed the words up thus evolving to come up  with another meaning.

           In terms of history, there exists a parallelism between our two countries. While our country has experienced long periods of colonization, first by the Spaniards, to be followed by the Americans, Kota Kinabalu, once called Jesselton, named after Sir Charles Jesselton, the Vice Chairman of the British North Borneo Company, thereafter forcing the Sultanate of Brunei to cede the land to the British. As is with our country, the British saw revolt and destruction by the Bajaus, then inhabitants of the place. The greatest similarity being that our countries having been both occupied by the Japanese during World War II with both experiencing the wrath and destruction that war brings. What is even more interesting is that said parallelisms starts an even more interesting history between Sabah and the Philippines.

            As was stated earlier, Sabah was once under the Bruneian Empire. The story goes that the Sultan of Brunei gifted the northern part of Sabah to the Sultan of Sulu in 1658, in appreciation for its help in settling a civil war in Brunei, hence, the source of the disputed Sabah claim of the Philippines that lingered till the 70’s until this was abandoned completely under the Marcos regime, after a planned attack backfired into what is now called the Jabidah massacre where Moro soldiers were supposedly being trained to infiltrate the Sabah government but were massacred for reasons we will never know and a part of a sordid history that is best forgotten. 

           On a personal level, coming to Kota Kinabalu seems like I have never left home.  First of all, we share the same climate as it is also located in the tropics.  Secondly, just like in Thailand, Indonesia or any of our Asean neighbors in the Far East, the faces of its inhabitants are so close to home that one does not have that feeling of unease with total strangers having set on its soil for the first time.  Their faces are the same as the ones we see in the streets of Manila or any other province in the country -the same sparkle in their eyes as they greet you with pleasant, grinning faces are the same faces you see in your friendly neighborhood as you step out of your house in Manila.  The same brown skin, albeit the difference in costumes, although this difference is only because they are different in Manila but such is a common site in Mindanao.

            We share the same staple - rice! Naturally, we almost do the same thing with it.  We cook rice the same way, steam or fry it.  Yet, they do more with it. We both eat rice as early as breakfast. While we fry rice and eat it with dried fish or canned sardines with fried or scrambled eggs, their traditional breakfast, nasi lemak, combines rice cooked in coconut milk, boiled eggs, anchovies (dilis) coupled with peanuts and sambal sauce which harmonizes everything together.  Our palettes and taste buds are different in that they use curry and chilis all the time. They also have delicacies which are not meant for the faint of heart.  We have balut and tamilok, they do have butod, which turns out to also be called sago grub or sago worm which is actually the larva of a beetle. I never had the guts to eat it and was amazed that two of my students mustered enough courage to. That made me look like and feel like chicken.

               During our week-long stay, we experienced their culture, enjoyed the sceneries but most of all, felt the warmth and friendly hospitality of our hosts.  Anywhere we went, we were greeted with aplomb that nothing can harm us along the way, even that treacherous trek up and down the hills of Kokol where rubber tapping is being done. We tasted their cuisine and prepared roti. We learned to drink water that was not cooled in the fridge and being told this is healthier, observed how they held classes, saw how the government worked during the Parliament session, learned about the history of DLSSSKK through its archives, gave small speeches about Jose Rizal which they take up and history in general and how this subject is taught in our school. We were taken to Tambunan, a valley some 80 kilometers away from Kota and experienced rural living although we were billeted in a brand new hostel. We saw the fantastic sceneries the land has to offer most especially the view from the mountain and the Mahua falls, though not as majestic as, say Pagsanjan falls or the Maria Cristina, is  as equaly breath taking as well. We were always afraid that we could be in a place where only the traditional toilets were present and feared we could never learn how to use such. To our relief, they always have what is now standard toilets with a bidet to boot.  We were taken to several dinners, both Malay and Chinese ones by our hosts, Mr. Safri, Sir Jong and Sir Adrian and the alumni and students of DLSSSKK who we cannot thank enough.  Or even the gracious Br. Peter, the Principal and Administration and teachers, the President of the PTA and the members of the Board of Trustees.

                 On a more personal level, I enjoyed Kota Kinabalu because of the company I had. I may have gone to Aspen, Colorado or the beaches of Amalfi Coast or Maldives but I would not have enjoyed it as much as I have Kota Kinabalu.  I may have stayed in a five-star hotel or even the Al Burj Khalifa in Dubai but none of its amenities could have matched the Benildus, ancient as it is, simply because I was with my students playing card games and telling benign jokes about anything under the sun with them. They who turned out to be my children for seven days and now my friends forever.  I would not have enjoyed the 7 days as much if it were not Milet who was with me as we ventured this new land.  I could not have enjoyed Kota if I were not seeing it with the glowing eyes of Christine, Bea, Toni, Jemil, Maui, Gerard, Adolf, and Kester.  I will never forget the adventurous Bea and Maui who braved trying everything they put on our plates, the simple but genuine contentment in the eyes of the boys as we practiced our songs which we had to perform or when they had to give short lectures on short notice, the sweet retorts one gets from the ever articulate Toni or that ever dulcet Christine smiles as she willingly gave out snippets of that cute lips that had the boys swooning over her. Or Adolf's and Maui's cute grins that the girls of St. Martin's or Stella Maris could ever forget. And that ever so sweet gesture of the boys to buy the girls their favorite stuff toys, hiding these from them all throughout the shopping spree and over thinking how these can be kept from them until they presented the same in their room. I am so proud of these guys for they delivered more than what was expected of them. They were true ambassadors of their school and I was so fortunate to have witnessed and be part of all this.  Such was the experience I had and I have never been happier coming to an unknown land for the first time - a land that is so close and yet so far from who or what I really am.

           

Kota Kinabalu

In about an hour, I shall be taking a bath and get ready to go to the airport and head eight Senior High Students together with the Science Coordinator, Millette Estidola, for a tour of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.

This will be my first time to go to that land which was, in my childhood, was being claimed by the Philippines as its own.  I remember looking at the Philippine map and wondering why I am seeing Sabah underneath Mindanao. It was believed that the Sultanate of Brunei had given the northern part of Sabah to the Sulu Sultanate for its help during the civil war.  The land was ceded to the British and after decolonization was claimed by the Malaysian Federation. The Philippines, under former President Diosdado Macapagal, renewed the claim. The Sabah claim was abandoned by Pres. Marcos sometime during his reign and with a lot of scandal.  In the story told and re-told, Marcos instituted what was to be Operation Merdeka of Macapagal, a plan to destabilize Sabah by having men infiltrate and sabotage and legitimize the claim.  Marcos' plan was to be called Jabidah. Somehow, the plan did not work out and caused the massacre of the commando unit allegedly by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.    Events like these have been forgotten and the Philippine claim to Sabah has been abandoned. Needless  to say that there exists a rich history between the two lands and I shall set foot on the shores that could have been ours. .You can read about the story here and here
I  have no idea what this trip would be like but I suspect it would be very fruitful and enjoyable.  Our schools, theirs and ours, have been having this program for several years now and I have had the privilege to be involved in one trip where I was to accompany the company of students from KK who visited the country several years back and got acquainted with their adult leaders, Mesdames LynnLulu and Noraisha Wan.  I am excited at the prospect of meeting Madame Lynn again. Too bad, Madam Wan is no longer connected with the school and has gone, probably, to KL.

We fly to KK at 4:25 pm and expects to reach the BKL airport at around 6:25 pm.   I am so excited by this trip and hoping I can blog every night my day to day experience.

Final Paper for Educational Leadership and Management

(Trying to be a prophet)

De La Salle Santiago Zobel: The Future in Responding to Learning Needs

of Millenials with the Advent of Technology

Introduction

               

De La Salle Santiago Zobel school is a Catholic  institution that belongs to the system of
the De La Salle Philippines.  As such, it is a system of education that originated in France and follows a long history dating as far back as the 18^th century.  With its educational philosophy of Teaching Minds, Touching Hearts and Transforming Lives, it makes sure that it has the learners at the core of its ministry.  This being the case, De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, henceforth DLSZ, keeps up with the latest trends in education to keep up with the changes happening in education here and abroad.

 With the advent of the internet, the world has been transformed into just one global village. Hence, it is imperative that schools should have the learners transform into global learners ready to compete and interact with anyone in the world. This poses a challenge to an educational system that is supposed to follow long traditions and philosophy set by its founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle.  At first glance, this may be very hard. However, knowing that the founder was an innovator and has addressed issues that confronted him at the time with innovation and creativity, it is safe to assume that the founder would have embraced new technologies if and only if such would benefit the learners.

This is the case with DLSZ.  Having been established in 1978, it has grown to what it is today. From the simple facility that is the main building, this institution of learning has matured into a big school that has state of the art edifices and equipment enabling it to compete with the very best in the country.  Its faculty has developed into major educators that provide top of the line, quality education for the young. Lately, it is one of the first institutions to adapt technology inside the classroom by divesting the use of books in favor of iPads called MLD’s or Mobile Learning Device. DLSZ uses different apps in education to supplement learning and even spearheaded the use of technology in other schools by launching a series of seminars called SparkEd, to showcase how learning takes place in the classroom.

Statement of the Problem

            Just like any other institutions, organizations that started breathing shall, at one point or another, expire. It may take years and years of a very long existence but just like a turtle who has set on a long journey of a thousand miles, it will one day reach its destination.  Such is the life of an organization. It will eventually face its inevitable demise. DLSZ is not immune to such a painful end. As a matter of fact, it has experienced several downfalls, like the downfall of the number of enrollees and/or having suffered a collective dampened spirit as a school. These setbacks are living testimonies that the school is in fact as vulnerable as any other.  There have been many times that DLSZ, as a school could have met its tragic death.  One of the major plunges the school experienced was on the 20^th of November in 1996 when the tragic accident involving a grade four student died in an amusement ride while the school opened its fair grounds. This also involved another classmate losing her arm as a result of the said accident.  The spirit of the entire school was dampened for it never realized that such a thing could happen within its grounds.  The second was during the Erap administration in 1998 and the ensuing economic dive experienced by the country. The enrolment was at a low during the time. The all-time low in the enrolment was somehow abated with the proliferation of Korean students who flocked in the country to get education.  Another incident that could have caused the school its untimely demise was when one of its students, Mcsi Perlas, a graduating student met his untimely death in a car crash involving him and other classmates coming from a school activity in Dasmariñas, Cavite.  However, these events, no matter how tragic, proved how resilient DLSZ can be. 

Lately, the school has been facing another blow in its thirty-nine years of having been alive.  The very subdivision, the posh village of AAVA to where the school lies, is threatening the very existence of the school inside its premises.  The school is being seen as the cause of the horrendous traffic during rush hours among others, plus the noise and chaos such brings to an otherwise peaceful community. Such an irony for the very same institution was lured to establish its grounds on where it now stands as a marketing ploy to attract families to build their homes in the area knowing that they can send their young at an excellent school nearby.  Now that the children of the original homeowners have graduated and most of its students are non-villagers, the school is now regarded as a nuisance. Such is a serious threat to the school’s existence. However, the school is not to die of this nature. Sure, the building to where it stands might be thrown away but the school has already started a new building to continue its existence. This is where the school houses its Senior High School, a new addition to the organization to address the paradigm shift from a four-year high school system to a continuous grade level which is the actual system among international contemporaries. 
Hence, it can be said that the institution has not really died but has continued its existence in another place.

            However, there is another threat to the existence of the school which will surely cause its death. As a matter of fact, such threat holds true not only to DLSZ but to the entire school system in the country as we know it.  This is the fast paced growth education has undergone for the past decade or so.  With the advent of the computer and the internet, we are now faced with a different set of learners.  Gone are the days when students have to memorize facts and figures, formulae and other things we used to put to memory.  With computers, a limitless data can be had at the click of the keypad.  Since information can be had within a few seconds, man does not have to memorize anything anymore.  This being the case, teachers have to reinvent teaching.  They should now make lessons on the basis that students can have information easily and quickly.  They no longer have to stand in queue at libraries to research. 

            Computers have changed the landscape of education.  Its fast changing pace leads to the question on how relevant are traditional schools today.  We have already learned that education via correspondence is possible a long time ago.  And this is via snail mail and it has been with us for a very long time.  So too do we now have online universities such as the Writersvillage.com where people who wants to become writers join and attend classes in virtual classrooms.  Considering that distance learning is possible, the eventuality that schools will be configured to be online is tremendous.  We can just imagine a teacher conducting her class in front of a computer and the students are settled in the comfort of their homes attending class by just sitting in front of the computer as well.  The students interact and get engaged with the learning, only that they are not physically present altogether in one place at the same time.  Teachers would operate just like what they did before, writing their syllabi and daily lessons, only that they do this in front of a computer with access to a network system and talking to 20 or more students logged in at the same time. The teacher would be using the computer just like operators at call centers multi-tasking talking and listening via the headset with a microphone and continuous typing on a keyboard.  When this time happens, this will truly be the demise of schools as we know it.  At the rate technology is overtaking our daily lives, it seems like the next paradigm shift in education is inevitable.   The question is when. With DLSZ adapting quickly with the advances in technology, with its teachers being the first to be accredited by the famous company Apple as Distinguished Educators, a title bestowed to very select elite teachers around the world and four of its teachers as members of the Microsoft Certified Educators, about 20 Microsoft Innovation Experts and several more as Microsoft Innovation Education Experts, it could be said that the school has embraced technology altogether.  Hence, this paper will try to predict when education in DLSZ shall cease to exist as has been posited earlier. Such study shall be limited to DLSZ based on surrounding circumstances hoping the future can be foreseen out of the activities and the way DLSZ views education and how it handles its policies. 

Methodology

            To get a picture of learning that happens in DLSZ against a backdrop of technology based learning and how technology is being used in the school, the paper shall start with the different apps known as Learning Management Systems or LMS used in DLSZ.  These apps shall be gathered and be given a brief description of each and their use.  With this, the paper shall try to assess whether or not the apps used are bound to pose an alternative system which will eventually cause a drastic change in the future. 

After which, the paper will look at the different influences involved with teacher-student engagement like government agencies, parents, teachers themselves, the principal, etc. who could, in one way or another, be a major force in either the acceptance or rejection of the issue on hand. The paper will try to predict how these influences would react to a paradigm shift in the educational system of DLSZ and in what capacity should they influence such change.   Among the very popular ones are the following:

Learning Management System

Edmodo

Schoology –

Google classroom

iTunes U

Course Content Management System

Khan Academy

VBS Economics

Cinch –

Socratic –

Gooru

Presentation

Microsoft Power point

Keynote

Haiku Deck

Popplet Lite

Microsoft Sway

Document Processing and Alterations App

Google docs

Microsoft Word

Adobe Acrobat

Type on PDF

Graphing Data Collection

Desmos

Numbers

Microsoft Excel

Google Forms

Picture Editing and Video Making Application

Toontastic

Comic Lite

Screen Capture Lessons from Quicktime

Showme

Communication and Social Media Applications

Skype

iMessage

Facebook

Twitter

Collaboration, Print Formatting, Readers and File Storage Applications

Office 365 One Drive

Cam Scanner

Google Drive

Office 365 One Note

Schoology - a learning management system (LMS) for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and corporations that allows users to create, manage, and share content and resources. Also known as a course management system (CMS) or virtual learning environment (VLE), the cloud-based platform provides tools to manage any classroom or blended learning environment.

Google Classroom - a learning management system developed by Google for schools that aims to simplify creating, distributing and grading assignments in a paperless way. Google Classroom combines Google Drive for assignment creation and distribution, Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for writing, Gmail for communication, and Google Calendar for scheduling, and Google Search to help with school projects. Students can be invited to classes through the institution's database, through a private code, or be automatically imported from a school domain.

 Edmodo – offers a communication, collaboration and coaching platform to K-12 schools and teachers. The Edmodo network enables teachers to share content, distribute quizzes, assignments, and manage communication with students, colleagues, and parents. Edmodo is very teacher-centric in their design and philosophy: students and parents can only join Edmodo if invited to do so by a teacher. Teachers and students spend large amounts of time on the platform, both in and out of the classroom.

Kahoot! -  a game-based learning platform, used as educational technology in classrooms and other learning institutions. Launched in August 2013 in Norway, Kahoot! is played by millions of people in 100 countries. Its learning games ("kahoots") are multiple-choice quizzes that can be created by anyone and are not restricted as to age level or subject matter. Kahoot! can be played using any mobile device, desktop or laptop with an internet connection and web browser.

Khan Academy - a non-profit educational organization created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan with a goal of creating a set of online tools that help educate students. The organization produces short lectures in the form of YouTube videos Its website also includes supplementary practice exercises and materials for educators. All resources are available to users of the website. The website and its content are provided mainly in English, but are also available in other languages.

YouTube - is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California. Google bought the site in November 2006 for US$1.65 billion; YouTube now operates as one of Google's subsidiaries.

YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, add to favorites, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users. It offers a wide variety of user-generated and corporate media videos. Available content includes video clips, TV show clips, music videos, short and documentary films music videos, short and documentary films, audio recordings, etc,

 Other Influences

Government - from among the influences that could affect the change in the system of education, the government, notably the Department of Education, plays the most important role for it has the power to effect changes.  This fact can clearly be seen when the department issued the changes a few years back introducing the KPUP grading system whereby the grading components have been identified and classified into knowledge, Process, Understanding and Product with the corresponding grade allocations and the change to the K-12 system to synchronize with international standards.

            Looking back, the Department however does not seem to have changed much throughout the years.  The changes in education has been very minimal, if not non-existent.  Other than its political structure, the department has not changed that much until the changes effected during the 21^st century.  Looking back from the Reorganization Act of 1916, the changes ever since were not as drastic as it has done in the last few years.  Nevertheless, it is obvious that the man at the helm of the Department needs to be strong willed as the late Secretary, Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, to create drastic changes within the Department. 

DLSZ – while the school is first to embrace technology in its system, the school per se might not be very kin in changing the entire system altogether.  It still holds some traditions which it may not be ready to abandon.  When the opening of classes was suggested and adapted in some schools to be held in August, DLSZ did not follow suit.  There have been some reasons that the management of the school has given why it has decided not to join the schools, known as the big four, in changing the opening of classes.  To think that these schools included De La Salle University.  The other schools being the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila and the University of Santo Tomas to change their school calendar. 

Parents – parents are wont to question changes schools undergo.  They are a staunch believers of the saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Parents would only understand that they were educated this and that way and because of this, they think like it is the only way.  They will be the last one to accept any changes that would happen on how schools should teach their children.  Oftentimes, one hears them asking, “Why are you experimenting on my child?” The parents are a big factor in the school to the point that they sometimes meddle with its operation.  They would question the grades given by the teacher thinking that there has been bias in the giving of the grade. 

Teachers – this group of educators would not succumb to a drastic change. On the contrary, rather than viewing this as an advance to their profession, they may find such as a threat to their very existence.  Like they would soon be replaced by technology and that they would soon be seen as obsolete.  Another way that this group of people would be an obstacle to the change is that they might be afraid of the unknown. 

            While there are a lot of advantages that the change in the system can be had with the scheme like easing down the traffic jams in the cities as the student population share the biggest chunk of the commuting public; the dangers posed by congested buildings of young teen agers; abating the drug problem in schools, one of the biggest arguments people have is that students will not develop their social skills as they will not have  interact with their peers. 

Findings

            Based on the foregoing, the paradigm shift in schools talked about in this paper will not yet happen in the near future.  The timing is just not right and the mind-set of the major players in DLSZ are not yet ready to embrace such an idea.  For one thing, the apps used in the school still have the traditional classroom in mind.  And to think DLSZ is among the pioneers in embracing technology in the classroom.

First and foremost, the programs seem to be designed for the classroom setting. The proposed change should begin with the designers who have yet to create a separate curriculum intended for distance learning in basic education. By doing so, the applications made shall be geared towards that end.  From among the platforms we already have,  Skype, iMessenger seem to be the most susceptible to this need.  These apps can be developed to hold conferences in a big scale so that the teacher can talk, teach and communicate with his/her students online at the same time.  There should also be a way by which the students can communicate with each other while such a lesson is taking place.  This and more are the problems the designers would have to address so that we can start to even think about changing the educational system.

Furthermore, the internet connection is still too slow and irregular.  With the internet connection being too slow results plus the intermittent interruptions, the country is definitely not ready to go into education that uses technology like the one being discussed here.  We have to ensure that the connection with the internet is almost worry-free and that the learning shall be uninterrupted for this scheme to succeed. 

The school, should it want to change the system, should work really hard to sell the idea not only to the major players who hold the biggest influence in the system.  It should be able to convince not only the parents, the teachers and students but itself that such is the only way left for us.  That the learners are faced with different problems as those faced by their predecessors.

This paper believes that the change is inevitable and that schools shall cease to exist the way it does. It does not even need to answer the how.  One day, the more progressive countries will make the change and the government will have no other recourse but to follow suit.  The only question is when. Yet, as fast as technology is surpassing and engulfing our lives, it seems like DLSZ and the entire school system will not yet be ready in the next twenty years.    

Reflection # 1

Note: I enrolled in a Certificate Program for Educational Leadership and Management Course taught by Br. Jun Erguiza, President of LASSSAI, to where LASSO is a branch. One of the requirements for the class is to give reflections and this is my first reflection.

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     During the first day of this month-long course, we talked about the personal objectives of each participant to know the driving force of everyone and make each one go out for four Sundays instead of just lying around, sleeping in front of the television or being engaged with one’s spouse and children, for after all, Sunday is considered by many as a day for the family.          

We talked about the origin of education as coming from the Latin word educere which basically means to draw out, in this case, potentials of the students.  This being the case, I believe that it takes the pervasive philosophy that man, even just after birth has already built-in knowledge or pre-conceived ideas in his persona as opposed to the view of having been born in a tabula rasa state as was proposed by John Locke.  This has been clear to man since the 1990’s. The question to be asked now is What are these? This reminds me of the late Dr. Emerita Quito, if memory serves me right, who posited at least two, to my recollection, that could well be part of this pre-natal experience. These being the id, the first of the three structural models of Sigmund Freud’s model of the psyche and the Christian’s belief on the concept of the original sin.
 Notwithstaning these philosophical concepts, it has been proven that a child already experiences something even while being inside the womb, thus, has started acquiring information.  We have behaviorists who suggest the mother read literature or listen to classical music as the fetus inside her womb has started developing his/her senses.  I believe that this concept has been available as early as ancient man, for to them, education is the drawing out from the individual what is already inherent in his psyche and all we have to do is nurture and sustain these at the very least.  Furthermore, as these acquired data are raw, there could have been misinformation learned called misconceptions. In such a case, it is the duty of education to correct these misconceptions and lead the person into the right path.
Then we talked about that aspect of education being subversive as opposed to just being the transmission of traditional learning. We have established that it is the duty of education to push forward and not just be a seemingly echo of the past. Ergo, education should not just be viewed as a mere source of hand-me-down information but must be a harbinger of change.  As such, it should not stick to tradition but should be a means to step out from it while acknowledging the contributions made by the past.
Thereafter, we talked about vision and how this becomes the lifeblood of the institution. The very source of all the actions, processes emanating from its administration that trickle all the way down to the rank and file. It also establishes its culture, the way people think and act as governed by the common vision - that a good manager should first know what the vision is, understand, agree and believe in it and should the manager have a contrary view, can either go out or revise the same. 
We also distinguished a business enterprise from a school and differentiated the terms profit for the former as against prophet for the latter.  Nevertheless, while it is true that the roles of a manager of a school and a business could practically be interchangeable, for after all, a school should be run like a business for its own survival, the biggest difference lies on the kind of product both produce.  While it would be easier to standardize, improve and develop the products in business, it would be very difficult for schools to do the same for it deals more with people. This aspect is even more intricate as it purports to be.  Individuals act according to their own motivations and there can be as many different motivations as many as the individuals there can be.
 Lastly, we made a distinction between a leader and a manager.  I have always believed that a manager could be someone who had been assigned by the powers that be, some sort of an entitlement who has a de facto power to supervise and take control of the organization while a leader is someone who, while  not having been endowed with power, has the actual mandate of the people for he inspires and motivates the members of the organization to do what is that which should be done. The discussions did not lead me to think otherwise. The leader can be someone who rose from the ranks, un-appointed but nevertheless have command of the people. Oftentimes we see this person as the spokesperson for the employees or in an organization that is unionized, could be the elected President of the union.  As such, there is the possibility that there can be two distinct personalities present in an organization and who can possibly come to  clash at one point or another, a scenario that would be critical for an organization’s survival.   It would be ideal to have a leader as a manager and a manager who is a leader. 
Based on the excellent exchange of ideas we had during the first day, I am excited and looking forward to attending the succeeding Sundays knowing that these would be days well-spent. 

Reflection # 2

The second meeting of this four part series is just as interesting.   We started with a review of the past week’s lesson. While this was just a review, surprisingly it yielded new information. It has been established that from among the things learned in school - knowledge, skills and values, the last seems to be the least in getting importance maybe because it is the most difficult to change in people.  That values are caught, mostly from the parents and lately, from the media to which education seems to be at a losing end of the battle.  Notwithstanding, computers can now teach knowledge and skills thus leaving only values to be taught by the teacher entirely. 

We were also asked the question if we would rather view education to be submissive or subversive. A consensus has been reached that education should be more than reactive and should be transformative, hence should take a subversive role in society.  It was also established that true education should cater to the head, heart and finally made to action. These should be the requisites of a good education.   The absence of one is a failure. Concentrate on the head and all we have shall be useless theories.  Concentrate on skills and we shall be left with repetitive products that we have mastered to do. Lastly there shall be no avenue to act on should there be no new knowledge and skills that have been developed.

After the review, we tackled the life cycle of an organization then compared this with the life cycle of a teacher.  The discussion yielded one significant resemblance of the two. That there comes a time when we reach a plateau and true to the saying that “when one is on top, there is no way but down,” meaning that this plateau being enjoyed will at one time dip to a low.  It is the role of the players to just consider these drops as mere hiccups and rise up and work its way on top again otherwise fall to its unfortunate demise.   

For the organization, the life cycle begins with a vision either of one man or of several men who share the same.  The same thing goes with the life of a teacher. S/He starts by joining the organization learning and imbibing the vision and mission of the organization.  From there, the charts start to climb until it reaches a plateau.  Then it slowly falls. This is the crucial part as the players should be wary and try to climb back up.  We discussed what changes take place that result to the downtrend.

Also memorable for me, but was not discussed during the day, were the readings shared by Br. Jun.  These are two chapters from the book “Courage to Teach” by Parker J. Palmer.  The first notable learning I had was what should a teacher be and have – identity and integrity. Palmer wrote, Good teachers join self, subject, and students in the fabric of life because they teach from an integral and undivided self. A teacher’s identity should not be separate from what he teaches.  A teacher should be true to himself/herself through and through.  There should be connectedness between himself/herself, the subject taught and with the students.  A teacher should know what his/her weaknesses and strengths are and how to take advantage of these in the classroom.

By integrity I mean an evolving nexus where all the forces that constitute my life converge in the mystery of self, Palmer wrote. This is the total amalgamation of the stuff that we are all made up of.  It does not make perfection. That is not attainable after all. But what we should is to see ourselves having self-respect and try living our lives with dignity and honor. 

The next chapter talks about the fears of both teacher and students alike. Sometimes, we fail to acknowledge our own fears these being having our work go unappreciated; being inadequately rewarded, discovering one fine morning that we are in the wrong profession, spending our lives on trivia, ending up … like frauds,… but mostly our fear of the judgment of the young.  What is unfortunate in not knowing these fears is that we sometimes “allow(s) us to ignore our failings as teachers by blaming the victims referring to our students. What was very significant for me was when he likened us to physicians the analogy of which was that when we complain about not accepting bad students anymore, it is the same as physicians telling the hospital not to accept sick people so that they can be viewed as good doctors.  There is also the phenomenon in which teachers’ fears are rooted in their need to be popular with young people.

The chapter also tackles that it seems like we are trapped in a system, not of our own doing, but by circumstances out of our control. I say this under the premises enumerated by Palmer who wrote: …we are distanced by a grading system that separates teachers from students, by departments that fragment fields of knowledge, by competition that makes students   and teachers alike wary of their peers, and by a bureaucracy that puts faculty and administration at odds. I think we are caught up in a web of uncertainty simply because there is no other way that is hitherto known to man to educate the young other than these.  Grading system – we have been trapped in a system whereby students compete to be the highest, brightest in class. Neither the teacher, nor the students or mostly the parents, would come to appreciate knowledge if it is not evidenced by a very high grade.  He also said that we only know of one form of conflict, the win-lose form called competition.  This aspect of education results to the other factors that separate us from true education mentioned above.   But this not need be.  He mentions consensual decision-making in which all win and none need lose, etc. 

Grades have always been our sole evidence of learning. This is because it is by far the easiest to understand.  The equation is simple. A passing grade denotes the lesson is learned at par while a very high grade is learned at the optimum.  This could prove to be the bane of education. The danger of this equation has always been that the student only try to learn for the grade. Hence when his/her actions are no longer graded, the learning is all lost and forgotten.

Another realization that I got from the reading is that of objectivity in education.  It seems like the proponents of education try to shy away from subjectivity. One only has to be reminded of those term papers written for academic purposes. We are told to refrain from being personal and avoid using I and us in favor of saying the researcher(s)  to objectify findings.  The first time I came across objectivism is when I read the writings of Ayn Rand whose philosophy is learned via her novels Atlas Shrugged, the Fountainhead and other writings.  Objectivism to her means there is no gray area, A is A and black is black.  However, even during those times of my personal enlightenment, I began to question the validity of such a claim.  Such philosophy narrows down the existence of man with utter simplicity when in reality, it is founded on a complex, divergence of opportunity.  To Ayn Rand, altruism should have no place in this world.  Her battle cry has always been each according to his ability as opposed to each according to his need. However, such philosophy does not consider that every man is different.  There are people who were born with physical defects and who need constant aid to survive.  Such denial of this kind of truth si dangerous for life has not dealt all of us with the same hand.

Such is the plight one experiences with objectivism. I may have digressed a bit from the topic of education but such is my take on objectivism.  It is impersonal, devoid of feeling and does not consider the nature of man.  Such is how we handle education. Devoid of feeling and as such barren of true logic. 

a village raising the child

           
         
            It is interesting that in a far-flung village in Africa there exists a philosophy that I think is filled with wisdom that I take to be entirely correct.   There is this saying in Nigeria: "It takes a whole village to raise a child!" For me, this is a sound belief that is as loud as the clanging of the huge bell of an ancient church announcing to the town that mass will start soon.  This belief could have been spawned by very observant elderlies of the village watching a pride of lions, composed of sisters, as they share in taking care of the young.  This system is seen especially when it is time to hunt.   The cubs shall be left to one female lion who is an aunt, while the others hunt for food.    So too is it true in the wild forests of America or in Europe where a pack of wolves live. For wolves, only the alpha male and the alpha female are allowed to mate; bear pups and those with lower ranks share in taking care of them.  What they would do is hunt, eat the food and regurgitate it to the young on their return.  This sharing responsibility of taking care of the young is also the reason why ant and bee colonies thrive around the world.  I have been thinking, if this is true anywhere, then this should be a universal truth, don’t you  think?

 There is a big problem brewing at Ayala Alabang Village where De La Salle Zobel school is located.  Traffic congestion has always been a perennial problem in any locality where there is a school.  I have been going to Greenhills every Thursday, once a month to attend a meeting and I know it is a commuters’ nightmare that from one to four in the afternoon, cars occupy at least two lanes waiting for students to be dismissed.  This chaotic problem where there are schools is true everywhere and Ayala Alabang is not immune to it. 

This traffic situation has never been a problem before but De La Salle, as one of the country’s leading schools in providing quality education, has grown dramatically both in its physical layout and enrolment size.   With La Salle’s stance of keeping up with global standards, more and more parents are investing their children’s education to the said school.    In return, De La Salle, in its effort to make its brand of education available to as many students as possible, could not close its doors to worthy students regardless of whether they are residents of the village or not.   The increase in enrolment is the root cause of the traffic situation, or so they say. 

It is easier to blame the traffic situation on the escalating number of passers-by.  It is always so easy to point a finger on a single culprit.  As a matter of fact, it is the most convenient.  However, on closer inspection, this may not necessarily be correct at all times.  While it is true that traffic congestion can be attributed to sheer volume alone, I believe there are other factors involved that contributed to the mayhem.   Before this nightmare, there were more roads available to the commuters.   There were streets such as Maria Cristina, Agno, Pantabangan, Ambuklao, etc. which could be used to get to Zobel.  However, these streets were closed one by one to commuters bound for Zobel which left only Madrigal and Acacia roads open to University Avenue as the only ingress and egress to the school.  Naturally, these roads will not be enough during rush hours which will be from 7:30 till 8:00 in the morning and 3:30 till 4:00 in the afternoon. 

With all this traffic turmoil, the Ayala Alabang Village Association (AAVA) Board of Governors has only De La Salle Zobel to blame, not as the main source but the only “culprit” and hence made all it deems as necessary measures to only refer to the school albeit the fact that there are more schools  inside the village.  As such, the Board has made several demands “suggestions” to the school to help ease the traffic to which Zobel has willingly complied even if it had to spend millions of pesos.  I would like to spare you the details and make the long story short.  The Board claims that none of the solutions adapted by the school worked and as a final solution, will implement a color-coding scheme on vehicles coming to and from De La Salle Zobel.

                The color-scheme the AAVA Board wants to implement is, at the very least, impractical to downright ridiculous.  First of all, why implement the scheme when there are barely two months left in the school year? Granting in arguendo that it has been the plan since June as alleged by the Board, nevertheless, to have it implemented today will not serve any purpose but cause a lot of trouble and mayhem to our young students.  The residents, who the Board alleges to be complaining about the traffic, have already managed to bear with the discomfort for practically the whole year -  two more months would cost nothing more than what they have already suffered.    Secondly, the plan needs to be studied more.  In the proposed scheme, there will be cars which will be allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, a total of three days; while on the other hand, the others will only be allowed on Tuesdays and Thursdays!  That is totally unfair.   Why will there be students who are blessed with more days to come and study than the others?  On what basis shall a non-resident car owner be awarded a three day slot?  Who decides who will be given a sticker that will allow access to the roads of AAVA on those three  days?

              It  takes the entire village to raise a child.  There is wisdom in that adage.  A child may not be born completely in tabula rasa form but nevertheless, it grows into the kind of environment it lives in.  As such, every child is our responsibility.  We cannot complain about that drug dependent menace or that village thug that constantly disturb the peace.  They are that way because they lived in an antagonistic and uncaring society.  We cannot just blame their parents for raising them that way.  We let them down.  They are our responsibilities.  Should we deprive the little ones in our care of education and have them witness how terrible we treat one another? It takes an entire village to raise a child.  We are trying to raise our future leaders and raise them differently than how our present leaders have been brought up.  Should we let a minor discomfort that lasts for barely thirty minutes be the bane of our existence? Or should we consider our small sacrifice be our contribution to nation building?  To me, the choice is obvious. I hope it is with you, too.   

 

 

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

School Rules

(This post is my own personal opinion and it holds no other purpose but to express my sentiments)

I get it. School rules are necessary and should be followed to the letter.  Rules are issued to instill  discipline among the members of the school community, be it for the students or the faculty alike.  Discipline is "the desired and/or expected norm of conduct." The importance of having rules is clearly enunciated in the case of DLSU vs. CA where the court, in stressing its importance  said : "the essential establishment of rules...may be regarded as vital, not merely to the smooth and efficient operation of the institution, but to its very survival." The court could not be any clearer than that.

Rules are an integral part of schools for their smooth operation.  They are imposed to establish to provide order and  harmony among each member.  Imagine a world where there are no rules. Each one will be acting on his/her own regardless of whether or not such an action is to the detriment of someone, especially another person in the community. Eventually, there will be nothing but chaos. Even the universe has its own rules or laws, the very reason why we live the way we do.

In order for rules to be effective, they should have teeth.  A rule that is ignored is inutile.  However, to make rules really earn its teeth, they have to be known by every member and that there should be a clear reason for their imposition  -  one must not run in the hallways, this is not a playground and one could get hurt;  one should take or use somebody else’s property without permission of the owner – that would be stealing.  There should be a clear reason why this or that is forbidden.  It could either be harmful for the doer or to somebody else.

When the rules are clear and the reason for its imposition is known and accepted, there will be no problem. However, sometimes, rules can be as abstract and unclear.  When this happens, each one can have their own interpretation until it becomes a free-for-all which only brings more confusion rather than enlightenment.

There are  rules which could be obscure to the point of being illogical to the members of the organization.  Often, these rules are viewed as whimsical or capricious as the members do not understand why this is being implemented.  Examples of these could be  the rule on hair color, or one's choice in clothes when a standard uniform is not required.   Let us take hair color for example.  What if there was a rule forbidding someone to teach with his/her hair dyed blonde?  Following the logic posed earlier, it could be assumed that this is so because blonde hair is bad.  But why? Often, they say, "this" is not a teaching hair color - if there is something like that.  What if the person is a natural blonde? He/She shoud not teach because she possesses bad hair.  But is this right? Can one not teach effectively because the color of his/her hair is not the prescribed one? Should the person color his/her hair black because that is the accepted hair color for teachers - in the Philippines, at least?  Why is it bad to have blonde hair in the first place? Does it hamper one’s thought processes? Does that impair a person's judgment? Is it too jarring for students that they cannot follow the lesson because the teacher’s hair is not "au naturel"?

Sadly, these are unacceptable because they do not follow the wishes one, if not all, in the administration.  They probably think this does not display good taste? Just because most Filipino hair is black, we assume that any other hair color is not acceptable? Is this not just a matter of opinion? This fact goes with the choice of clothes and the like.  I have been poring over this and came to one conclusion.  It is bad enough when a person forces his/her own morality on another.  It is even worse when one dictates his/her own personal tastes on anyone.   Just as I do not adhere to censorship, I do not want others meddling with my personal life.   I may not be cool in my choices of clothes, or they may frown on the food that I eat for these are too oily and dangerous to my health or they may not like how I behave in public. But as long as I am not a risk to someone, I don’t care! I am proud that I can be  who I am.  My personal tastes are my own. Allow me to enjoy my freedom. Let me suffer the consequences of my choices.   I  made them on my own.  To standardize such would be synonymous to animals,  who, after having engaged in a mating ritual, returns to the anonymity of the flock.  That is not me. I want to retain my identity wherever I go at any time in my life.  And so, unless the harming consequences of these rules can be explained to me with clarity and with a very convincing argument, I say let me be! 

What is true education?

This post is triggered by a friend’s fb post on Dec. 25, 2013.  In his wall, he posted a stack of books, probably his collection, and wrote:

"Is education a manifestation of the
superego qualifying and categorizing what we perceive and project ourselves to
be? Perhaps, but an educated man is not educated at all once he labels himself
and other people label him educated as well. Will a tricycle driver be more 

educated with a picture like this, a diploma in his sidecar? This is the reason

why i choose to be a teacher. Merry Christmas to all those teachers who

don't simply seek to educate"

This got me thinking.  What is education really for.  To a lot of people, education is about getting that diploma on the wall, make parents proud, and find a job and probably, get rich.  We are so proud brandishing our diplomas and sometimes even look down on others who failed to get one.  We feel smart having gone through all the preparations we made in order to get that piece of paper.  Unfortunately, there are some who, because of the high scholastic achievements feel like they are walking on cloud 9, way up there and look down on those lesser individuals who have not attained what they have achieved.  Is this what education is all about?

To be honest, education, while it does make our parents proud that we have finished college, is neither a guarantee that you'll end up having a good job nor will it make you rich.  There are a lot of college graduates who end up doing a lot differently from what they prepared for in college.  Let's face it.  We are producing more graduates than we have created jobs for them.  And each year, the number grows and grows and we have accumulated a huge number of misplaced graduates if not unemployed. 

Personally, I view education differently.   While I used to have the same notion as anybody, in my years of experience as an educator, I have finally come to the conclusion that education, in order for it to be meaningful, should be viewed as a personal enlightenment.  When we seek answers to questions during a time of wonder and awe, or maybe during times of confusion, find the answer or solution to a problem, imbibe the spirit of such information, then, we become educated. It is in the self - realization that we begin to know.  It is in finding answers ourselves that we begin to really understand. It is in finding the solutions to our problems that we find fulfillment and grasp the true meaning.  We do not need teachers to do that.  Especially teachers who think they know everything and that they are God's gifts to mankind sharing all the information they know, even if these are useless information.

Don't get me wrong.  Teachers play a very important role in the educational system.  While it is true, and I shall stand by my opinion, that education is a very personal matter.  However, sometimes, because of all the distractions we have, we tend to be lax and do not worry or marvel at the things around us.  When that happens, we do not ask questions.  We are comfortable the way we are.  And when we do not ask questions, we do not move forward.  Sometimes we do, but the problem is we may not be asking the right questions.  This is where the teachers come in.  They are the catalysts, the motivators and the guide for students to seek answers to the right questions.   Why do you think you need all those algebraic equations when you don't actually need them personally.  How many times have you used your knowledge of finding the x in linear functions in real life? The true teacher is one who makes you think.  Those equations are there for you to solve as an exercise for you to use your brains.  Think!  When you couldn't find the solution right away, they help you find it.  They find ways to make you find your way in the thickness of the forest.  It is the prime duty of the teacher to show you the connections.  This leads me to another point.  Since these are the ways in order for you to put your thinking caps on, a teacher should know how to motivate.  How could you be interested in finding the solution to a problem you do not find relevance in your life?  True, adults tell you that you will make good in life if you are good in  Math, Science and, in our case, English (because that is the medium of instruction).  How that is is probably because these are the subjects where you do a lot of thinking.  But surely, a good teacher should know how to make the subject interesting or the students will just play around if not sleep out of boredom.  The good thing is that the education system is improving.  We are starting to see the importance of showing the children the practicable use of the information we are giving them.  I did not have that luxury.  It has always been memorize, memorize during my time.

I think I digressed a bit.  My true intention of writing this post is that education is not to brag about.  We get educated because we want to know.  It is the drink that we need to quench our thirst, the food to sustain our lives.  Other than that, the knowledge we brag about is nothing.  As a matter of fact, the person who brags about his erudition is the one who needs to be treated like an idiot.  For after all, we are just humans and it is impossible for us to know everything.

"And listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant for they, too, have

their story"